Madeleine & the Mind

by Felicia Mires

  They popped open as if he knew she watched him. For an instant, intelligence blazed then awareness faded, and he looked right through her.

  A knock at the door brought Madeleine to her feet. "Come in."

  The door opened, and Dr. Hanover entered with a tray in each hand. He gaped at her hair. "Did Steven push you in the pool?"

  "He makes a habit of it?"

  "Every therapist so far. I guess it's an initiation with him."

  Madeleine looked quickly at Steven as Dr. Hanover set the trays on a table. "Then he can't have lost all his mind," she said. "I'll just have to find a way to open the rest of it."

  "Madeleine, if you want to eat in your room, I'll stay with him."

  Dr. Hanover sat down at the roll top desk.

  "Thank you, but I have to watch him. It helps to see if he's having any trouble with hand-eye coordination." She turned to her patient, still lying on the bed. "Steven, it's time to eat. Sit up, please."

  She leaned over and pulled at his hand.

  He reached out and touched a purple flower on her shirt.

  "I know. Hideous, isn't it? I'll find some other color that goes better with my hair, but it's all I've got for now."

  Steven caught a handful of wet hair in his hand and looked at it.

  Madeleine sat beside him. "You did that, you know. When you pushed me into the pool."

  He rubbed the silky tresses between his fingers and looked up at her.

  "I'm glad you like it, but it's time to eat."

  She rose and took him by the hand. They sat together at the small table, and she waited. Would he remove the lids to eat his food or expect her to do it?

  He sat there. She opened her own food and added sugar to her tea. Then she grasped his hand and said a blessing. "Thank you, Father, for this food and a place to stay. Bless Steven and heal his mind. Give him the answers he needs. Amen."

  She dropped his hand and picked up her fork. She wanted to see how long it took him to get the idea that he should eat. "Dr. Hanover, why don't you come over here and talk to us while we eat?"

  The chair squeaked as he rolled away from the desk.

  "I asked you to call me Mike."

  "Sorry...Mike. Does someone feed Steven, or will he eventually get tired of cold food and open the serving dishes for himself?"

  He sat in the chair next to her. "He can feed himself." He picked up Steven's right hand and laid it on top of his tray.

  Steven retrieved his napkin and placed it in his lap then began to open his serving dishes.

  "Wow. That's amazing. He has such a variety of symptoms. I've never seen quite this combination. But that doesn't mean anything. Mental illness is not an exact science."

  Mike looked at her in alarm. "Mental illness?"

  He didn't know?

  "Well, yes. If the doctor ruled out any physiological problems, then he's had some type of trauma that made him forget normal, everyday things."

  "Oh, dear. How long might this take? We're in sort of a hurry."

  "Really? No one told me. But it's not rocket science, you know."

  Steven choked on his tea, and Madeleine reached over and took it from his hand.

  "Are you all right? Take a deep breath for me." He breathed in and out. "That's good. Eat your food."

  She set the tea down and picked up her fork.

  "Miss Price…Madeleine. You don't seem to understand. Dr. Faraday is a rocket scientist."

  Madeleine dropped her fork and whirled to look at Steven. Did he perceive more than they thought?

  But the rocket scientist merely stared into space.

  "Are you telling me Dr. Faraday is a real rocket scientist?"

  "Absolutely. He's brilliant. There's no one like him, and he was on the verge of a break-through when he had his little accident."

  Madeleine chewed her food thoughtfully. "Tell me more about this accident. I heard it was a bump...some smoke and fire. I thought a child had been playing with matches or some such nonsense. How in the world did Dr. Faraday…"

  "No one knows. The fire alarm went off in his lab. He was found on the floor. He had a big bump on his head, and there was a fire on the experiment counters."

  "So he fell and hit his head, but you don't know how the fire started?"

  "No. Someone hit him and left him to die in the smoke."

  She gasped and put her fork down, studying the silent man with such empty eyes. "You poor thing. Why would someone want to kill a nice-looking man like that? Is he hateful?"

  "Not at all. I think he knows too much about our project. Several countries would give incredible sums of money to find out what's stored in his brain."

  "Not any more. But we'll work on it."

  Steven finished his food and left the table to sit in the window.

  "Mike, do you think he's safe here? I mean, his lab is here, I take it."

  "Yes. His lab is here. I don't know if he's safe or not. He's probably safer now than he was before he lost his speech. And he's never left alone. Unless he manages to wander off."

  Great. She hadn't realized he was so important. "I'll be more careful. Thank you for the lunch…and the conversation. It helped a lot."

  Madeleine glanced around the room as she stood. There were no visible personal items. "Could you come back tonight? I've got some questions, but first, I've got to think."

  "Not a problem. I'll come after dinner. I suppose you want to eat in your room again?"

  "For a while, yet. Until I get used to him…or rather, until we get used to each other."

  "Fine. Leave the trays outside. Someone will come and get them."

  Chapter 2

  Madeleine walked to the window to study Steven. A real live rocket scientist. What a shame. And someone wanted him dead.

  Not if she could help it.

  She sat down on the window ledge and took his hand. "Don't worry, Steven. I won't let anyone hurt you."

  He looked at her for a second then turned back to the window.

  "All right. Enough staring out the window. A scientist needs his mind exercised. I promised to read to you, didn't I?"

  Madeleine walked into her room and looked at the barren surfaces of her table and nightstand. If only… She opened the drawer beside her bed. A Gideon Bible lay inside.

  She cried out in triumph. "Hah! Bless the Gideons!"

  The Institute was more like a hotel than she realized.

  She strode back into Steven's room. He was leaning back on the bed with his arms behind his head, but his eyes caught hers as she drew near.

  She offered him a smile. "Comfy?"

  When he didn't respond, she sat at the foot of the bed and opened the Bible.

  "Now...where should we start?" His impassive face offered no elucidation. "You're a scientist, probably an atheist, or agnostic, and a humanist. I'll start with Proverbs."

  She laughed. "What a captive audience I'll have. Like preaching a sermon." She leafed through the Bible as she spoke. "Did you know, Steven, that God always knew man would doubt his existence? It mattered more for Him to have communion with someone who has intellect and free choice than it did for him to have a creation that would automatically choose him like a bunch of robots."

  Madeleine read for a while then explained what the verses meant to her. "This is a clear warning to guard against humanism. Do you know what that is? Humanism is the belief that we have the right to govern ourselves without considering anyone else's ideas or condition of life. It's the belief that man is so marvelous he should delight in the works of his hand as if they were the most important thing in the world.

  "I guess, as a scientist, you believe that. On the face of it, I suppose it sounds rather a good idea, to govern one's self. But God said that in our desire to know everything He'd created and hidden for us in the universe, we would forget He'd given us those mysteries and begin to believe that we, ourselves, are brilliant. 'And thinking themselves wise, they became fools.' You become a fool when you believe in your own wisd
om more than what God has done for you."

  He had listened without moving. His eyes on her face reminded her of a little child at a favorite bedtime story. She closed her Bible.

  "You're rather precious, you know." She patted his hand. "Would you like to go somewhere and play? There must be something we could do. Little boys need to play, and you're just like a little boy."

  She got off the bed and pulled him to his feet. A small refrigerator sat nestled in the corner of his room, and she walked over to it. "Let's see. Here we go." She pulled out two bottles of chilled water. "Take a drink of water before we go outside. The heat can be oppressive."

  She handed him the bottle but didn't open it for him. He took it and broke the seal before taking a drink. Then he handed it back to her.

  She rustled in a cabinet near the refrigerator. "Do you have a small bag or something like…"

  When something bumped her head, she turned to find a small satchel hanging from his hand. "Thank you. You're such a sweet boy."

  She placed the bottles in the bag and walked to the door. "Come along. And no running off or I'll have to…to…tie you to my arm."

  He walked past her into the hall.

  Madeleine locked the door then took his hand in hers. "Is there anywhere you want to go? And if you walk toward the pool, we're marching straight back to the room."

  Once they were outside, he pulled her toward the gardens. Before they reached the first blossom, she inhaled sweet fragrances, particularly roses.

  They walked past all the flowering beds and headed to a large green shrubbery in the back.

  "I don't see anything to play with out here. Don't they have a ball somewhere? I can throw a football and catch fairly well, too."

  He walked behind the hedges, and Madeleine kept a tight hold to his hand. The hedge stretched on forever. It turned, curved then straightened several times before finally opening into a small lawn with a shady grape arbor.

  There were several benches arranged beneath the arbor, and Steven ducked under the dark foliage.

  "This is a maze, isn't it? How beautiful...and so cool. I can see why you like it." He dropped to the grass at her feet, and she sat on the bench. "Here. I know you just had a drink, but I want you to take another sip. Then I'll let you lie there for a while."

  He obediently took a drink of water then stretched out on the grass.

  Madeleine leaned on the bench, staring upward. "I see the tiniest, little, pale green grapes growing amongst those leaves. I wonder if anyone ever picks them or if it's just here for fun."

  She turned her head to look out at the clouds. What a clear blue sky! Like Steven's eyes.

  She looked down at him, but he had closed his eyes. "You know, this is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to exercise and play."

  She yawned. As she listened to the faint drone of bees somewhere in the distance, a siesta sounded better.

  Madeleine opened her eyes. Her neck and back ached. She sat up. Where was she?

  Not again. She'd fallen asleep when she was supposed to be watching Steven. She jumped up and ran around the arbor. He was gone!

  They sky looked dusky. If she didn't find her way out of that maze before dark, there was no telling how long she'd be trapped in there.

  Had he tricked her again? That little boy in a man's body was beginning to annoy her.

  She picked up the bag of water bottles and ran through the maze. She reached a dead end. She retraced her steps until she found the arbor. Then she tried to remember how they'd come. She got lost again. Now, she could barely see. She was ready to cry when she heard a voice.

  "Madeleine!"

  A sob rose in her throat. "Here I am."

  "Madeleine!" Footsteps sounded closer. "Keep talking so I can find you."

  "I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Mike, hurry. I'm here."

  He lumbered up, huffing for breath. Definitely not a specimen of physical perfection. "You weren't there…when I went…up. Steven was just…sitting at that…window."

  "I suppose he's done this before, too. You might have warned me."

  "He looked so…normal, when he was with you. I thought maybe…"

  "You should have told me."

  She stalked past him. Sweat dripped in her eyes and trailed between her shoulder blades. She'd need a shower before she could possibly spend any more time with Steven.

  When she reached her room, she unlocked the door, and Mike followed her in. She jabbed a finger in his chest. "You...go check on your genius. I don't see him. I'm taking a shower, and he better be there when I get out."

  "Yes, Ma'am."

  Madeleine gaped at the dripping clothes she'd worn into the pool then pulled them out of the shower. She held up the grimy scrubs she'd worn into the maze. Ugh. What could she do?

  After checking the size of the remaining scrubs, she grabbed the smallest set and slammed the bathroom door behind her.

  Under the soothing jets of the shower, she imagined all the scathing things she'd like to say to Dr. Steven Faraday. Then she pictured those vacant eyes.

  Someone had tried to kill him, and now he was afraid. He might not be able to voice it. He might not even be able to recognize the thought, but hidden somewhere in his mind was the knowledge that someone wanted him dead. Could she blame him for being suspicious of anyone who showed up to 'help' him?

  What Steven needed was someone he knew. Someone who would stay around while Madeleine worked with him.

  It was time for that conversation with Mike.

  She crawled out of the tub and dressed. Tomorrow…new clothes. And make-up. She pulled the drawstring of the pants as tight as she could. One shoulder of the blousy shirt fell off no matter what she tried.

  Too bad. It would just have to sag.

  She knocked on the dividing door to Steven's room and waited until Mike's voice called back. "Come in."

  Madeleine entered and considered Steven. He sat on the bed with a chessboard laid out before him.

  Mike stood beside him. "Feel better?"

  "Yes. Please, finish your game."

  "There's no sense," he laughed. "He beats me every time."

  "Would now be a good time to have our little discussion?"

  "I'm at your leisure." He walked to the table and pulled out two chairs before sitting. "Madeleine, aren't you angry? Don't you want to say…something?"

  "Of course, I'm upset, but not at Steven. He can't really help it, you know. Someone tried to kill him. Whether he can articulate it or not, it's in the back of his mind. It makes perfect sense for him to dislike strangers. No, I'm upset that he's still afraid. He may never get his voice back until we find out who's trying to kill him."

  "You do realize what you're saying. If you get involved with this, someone could kill you. This concerns international security."

  "Makes you wonder how in the world I got in this place. If Steven had any sense at all, and I'm beginning to think he does, he'd be terrified I was planted here…a spy...to find his secret." She tipped her head. "That's what this is about, isn't it? Steven knows something, and he must have written it down somewhere or they wouldn't try to kill him. You don't kill the golden goose until after it's laid the golden egg."

  "Remarkable. No one else, not the doctors or the previous therapists, said anything like that or asked any questions, either. You're very bright."

  "Thank you. I've got a plan. Obviously, he trusts you, so you didn't try to kill him. Does Dr. Faraday have a wife or a girlfriend?"

  "I believe he's engaged. A lovely girl."

  "Get her here as fast as possible. He doesn't trust me, so we're going to keep him surrounded with people he does trust."

  Mike listened with a look of wonder on his face.

  Steven pushed aside his chess set and moved to sit in the window. The black vista before him did nothing but reflect his image. And that provided no encouragement. He didn't appear to care that he couldn't see anything outside.

  Madeleine turned back to Mike. "Ho
w dangerous is your lab? Familiar things will wake him up. It might even help him remember who hit him. Perhaps, he saw it."

  "It's not dangerous at all…for Dr. Faraday. I'm not sure it would be such a good idea for you…"

  "I can take care of myself, and I'm not letting him out of my sight. Now, the last two things…I notice that physically, he's well-built. If he keeps sitting in that window, he's going to lose all his musculature, and that would be a dreadful shame. Is there a gym on the premises…and a library? I need to read to him."

  Mike shook his head and grinned. "I was waiting for you to take a breath. Yes, on both counts. I'll show you the way tomorrow."

  "Oh, definitely not tonight. I'm exhausted. He's led me a merry chase all day. The stinker."

  She turned to wrinkle her nose at Steven's back.

  "You're an unusual girl. The other therapists were ranting and raving by now."

  "I can see why. I almost did. But, then I remembered why I'm here."

  "Why's that?"

  "I'm a tourist…on holiday in sunny Spain. I was running to meet up with my tour bus when someone konked me on the head and stole everything I have. My suitcase flew home to Texas, and I was laid up in a hospital bed with a concussion. When I woke, it was frightening to realize I had no one to fight for me, to take care of me. If Steven feels anything like I did, I have to help him." She laughed. "Besides, I do have to help him. If I cure Dr. Faraday, I go home. The Institute will pay for my flight to the States, otherwise, I'm stuck here indefinitely."

  "They didn't tell us."

  She shrugged. "The American consulate found me the job. I don't know how. Probably because it concerned a notable scientist. And perhaps that's why they trusted me. Everything that happened was easily proven, including the bump on my head. Which reminds me…" She stood and walked to the window.

  Steven smiled at her with wide eyes. She wanted to pinch him on the cheek he looked so cute. "Where was that bump on his head?"

  Steven's hand automatically reached for his head.

  Madeleine took his hand. "Do you remember, sweetums? Show Madeleine where it hurt."

  Mike coughed, and Madeleine turned to see him cover a gleeful face with his hand.

  "I see you laughing at me. It won't hurt to baby him a little. It's not like I cut up his food or anything." She rubbed Steven's head. "I can't find anything. It seems completely healed." She pressed a little harder and Steven jumped, grabbing at her hand. "Oops, was that it?" She kissed his head. "There, it's all better now." She walked back to the chair and sat down. "The swelling is gone, but the injury is still tender. But, that's completely normal. He's going to be fine. I just know it."