Madeleine & the Mind

by Felicia Mires

  "Basically, what you're saying is that information goes in, but it cannot get out."

  "Correct. He seems to have regained all his physical abilities, too. Although he gets disoriented sometimes. That's why we took the wheelchair yesterday."

  "My officer was wondering about that. One minute the Doctor was riding in a chair, and the next, he tore across the market like a sprinter."

  Madeleine laughed. "He's full of surprises."

  "I think that is all." The Inspector rose. "If there are any problems associated with your case, I'll let you know. We questioned the thief. He got rid of all of your possessions. I'm sorry."

  Madeleine had resigned herself to the loss long ago. "I expected that. Thank you for coming, Inspector. I'll walk you down."

  "That is unnecessary. Finish your breakfast." He looked at Steven. "Good day, Dr. Faraday."

  Steven nodded at him, and the Inspector left.

  Madeleine stared at her plate. Now that she was alone with Steven, she wasn't sure how to act. She was in love with him and if last night was any indication, he was attracted to her.

  When he got up and walked to the window, Madeleine felt let down. Perhaps he'd already forgotten that kiss to her forehead. It meant a great deal to her.

  She cleaned off the table and set the trays outside. What should they do now?

  What they'd always done. Keeping a routine would bring a sense of safety to his life. The more he relaxed, the more his brain would relax.

  As the days turned to weeks, Madeleine struggled with her feelings. Although she and Steven spent hours together every day there was a distance between them.

  She no longer reached for his hand when they walked together. There was no need. He was compliant. She never sat close to him or allowed moments of intimacy to develop. The more his mind opened up, the more obvious it became that he was a man, with all the male attractions therein. And she had to protect them from themselves.

  Their lives settled into a routine. They ate their meals together; they worked in the gym. Steven taught her how to lift weights. She was thrilled when she recognized firm muscles in her arm and legs.

  Each day, they walked in the garden and the maze. Occasionally, they went swimming, making sure they had plenty of company. And she read to him. The Bible that she had found in her room became well-worn from her attentions. But, did Steven comprehend God's message?

  In her spare time, Madeleine devised a list of questions to ask him. One afternoon, she took him to the maze.

  "I want to know who you are. I know I could just read your personal file, but I'd rather you tell me."

  The blank look.

  "Now, don't be that way. I'll ask you questions…It's good for you," she added in a wheedling tone of voice.

  He sat back in the grass and looked up at her.

  "First, have you ever been married?"

  He smiled at that one and shook his head.

  "Neither have I. Have you got any siblings?"

  He didn't. His parents were still alive and living in the States. She gave up trying to guess where.

  "What kind of music do you like? Are you one of those old-time rockers?"

  He shrugged.

  "If you like Country and Western, I'll scream."

  He grinned and shook his head.

  "Certainly not classical." He nodded. "…and opera?" He nodded again.

  "You'll be listening to that without me. How old are you?"

  He just looked at her.

  "Let me guess. Older than thirty?" He was. "I thought so. I was just being nice. Thirty-four? Thirty-five? Thirty-six?" He nodded his head. "Oh my. I must seem like a child to you. Even so, you're awfully young to be as important as you are. You must be very bright."

  No reaction.

  "You know, someday you're going to talk to me and you can tell me all there is to know about Dr. Steven Faraday."

  Madeleine stared off into space for so long Steven yanked on her foot.

  She looked down at him. "I was just thinking. I've been here over a month. I'll have to leave soon. I have…responsibilities at home." She looked at him. "I've talked to my roommate. She's making sure the bills are paid for me. But there are some things that I…"

  He shook his head, but Madeleine felt that her days were numbered.

  The more Steven's abilities increased, the more Madeleine tried to think of creative exercises for him. Though trapped in a world of silence he had reached out to her one day. She still had the piece of paper covered with her name. He had not written since that day, and no amount of urging on her part had interested him in picking up a pen.

  After several such failed attempts, Madeleine went down to the front desk. The receptionist looked up in surprise. Madeleine had given up her ideas of free time away from the Institute and rarely ventured to the foyer of the building.

  "Yes, Miss Price, what can I do for you?"

  "I'd like some supplies. The largest box of new crayons that can be found and some plain white drawing paper."

  The young woman made a note. "I'll have someone get this for you and bring it to your room."

  "Thank you."

  The next day, the package arrived outside Madeleine's door.

  If she couldn't interest Steven in a pen, perhaps the bright colors of the crayons would hold an attraction. She knocked on the dividing door and paused for a moment before entering. Steven was sitting at the window, but he stood when she entered the room.

  "I've brought something for you." She saw the quick flash of interest. "I'd like for you to color a picture for me. Would you like that?"

  He returned to his seat at the window with his back to her.

  She approached him and took his chin in her hand. Once he looked at her, she dropped her hand. "Come on. Try it. Why don't you color a flower? I like flowers. Please. I'm going to color."

  She walked to his desk and set out a stack of white paper and the box of crayons. She selected a few and sat in a chair nearby. Her patience was rewarded when he sat at the desk and picked up the crayons.

  Steven stared at the paper for a few seconds. Madeleine watched him from the corner of her eye. When his hand started to move, she rejoiced but she didn't say anything. When she finished with a color she handed it to Steven to put away and told him what new color she wanted. He handed her the correct crayon every time.

  After thirty minutes, she supposed his hand might be getting tired so she told him he could stop. "Would you like to go for a walk now?"

  He kept right on moving the crayon across the paper. When she stood and tried to peer over his shoulder he covered his picture.

  She laughed. "All right, no peeking. But you don't want to tire your hand. I'll let you work a while longer then you'll have to take a break. If you work on it every day, you'll build back those muscles in your hand."

  He stopped a few minutes later, put all the crayons away, and slid the paper in his desk.

  "Aren't you going to let me see?"

  He shook his head.

  "Will you let me see when you finish?"

  He nodded.

  It was several days before Steven offered his work to Madeleine. By now, he had gone through several sheets of paper. From time to time he had even used a ruler, which encouraged her. Any improvement in his ability to recognize objects in his environment and utilize them properly was a victory.

  She was coloring a picture of a house with flowers in the grass and smoke coming out of the chimney when he stood up and walked to the table in the other room. He spread out several sheets of paper and came back to get her. He held out his hand.

  "This better be some really great flower you've been hiding from me. I can't wait!"

  She joined him at the table and stood there in shock. There wasn't a flower in sight. What there was defied her powers of understanding. He had drawn a detailed miniature of a laser cannon, like a blueprint with carefully defined elements.

  He waited for her response. She looked at him and looked bac
k at the drawing.

  "I don't know what to say." She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Steven, I'm so proud of you. You are a genius. This is wonderful! Can I hang it on the wall?"

  He smiled and nodded.

  "Wait until Mike sees this. Won't he be surprised!"

  Only one thing disappointed Madeleine about the picture. Despite all the detailed work, there wasn't one written word. But still, the picture was proof his mind was returning.

  When they went down to the lab later that day, Madeleine told Mike all about the picture. She wasn't surprised when Dr. Giliteau showed up later at Steven's room.

  When Steven saw Dr. Giliteau, he went to the window and turned his back to them.

  "Madeleine, you have been ignoring me lately." Dr. Giliteau followed Madeleine into the room and sat on the couch.

  "Don't be silly. I see you every day when we come to the lab."

  "Tell me what you've been doing with yourself. How is Dr. Faraday behaving?"

  Madeleine pointed at the wall where she had hung Steven's artwork. "See for yourself."

  Dr. Giliteau walked closer to stare at the drawing. "Remarkable. Has he said anything?"

  "Not a word. He hasn't written any words either. But I have hope."

  "I don't know how you stand it."

  "I've always like the strong, silent types."

  "Perhaps he should spend more time in the lab, exposed to his work."

  "That would probably be a good thing if he didn't become so easily bored. We can't stay too long because when he gets bored, he gets into trouble. It's like he acts out his frustration. It's not surprising, really, as he has no other means of communication."

  "I see. Is there any chance he'll recover completely?"

  "Of course. I wouldn't be here if there wasn't. It just takes time."

  He moved a step closer and put a hand on her arm. "I'd like to go for a walk tonight. Do you think you could manage to get away?"

  "I'll try. I'm sure Mike…"

  "Good. I'll see you later." He went out the door.

  The minute the door closed, Steven was at her side. He took her arm.

  Madeleine looked up at him. "What is it?"

  He stared at her intently. Madeleine felt her resolve slipping as his hand slid down her arm to take her hand. When he tried to pull her toward him she yanked her hand free. "No, Steven. I'm not going anywhere with Dr. Giliteau, but that doesn't mean that you and I…"

  She walked into her room and shut the door. Sometimes she needed a break from his magnetic presence. It was becoming more of a trial every day.

  Madeleine dropped to her knees and prayed. It was the only thing that brought relief.

  Perhaps they needed to get away from the Institute. There were still a few places she'd like to visit. She would ask Steven if he wanted to go sight-seeing with her. He was so improved there was no reason to stay shut up at the think tank.

  The next morning, Madeleine made several calls. A day trip was going to eat into her depleted funds, but if it would break the intimacy of sitting with Steven all day, she'd better do it. Besides, when would she ever travel to Spain again?

  She knocked on the door and went through. At first, she didn't see Steven anywhere and her heart lurched crazily. Could he have had a relapse and run away? Could someone have taken him?

  "Steven?" She heard the tremor in her voice and hated it.

  She stood at the door uncertainly, trying to think what she should do, when he stepped back from his tiny kitchenette with a cup of coffee in his hand.

  The relief was so great she turned back to her own room to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes.

  Oh, God, don't let anything happen to that man. I love him so much. And I know you want him to know you.

  She could hear his tread across the floor so she wiped at her eyes before he could see what a fool she was for him.

  He took her arm and turned her around. He looked suspiciously at her eyes, but Madeleine pushed past him to his room, talking about her plans.

  "I thought it would be nice to get out. There are some things I didn't get to do with my tour group. Are you interested in an outing?"

  He grinned at her. Lately, everything she said or did seemed to have a double meaning for him.

  "I wanted to go on the Strawberry train, but perhaps that would give us too much idle time. I also never got to see the flamenco dancers…or a bullfight."

  He nodded to the train ride and the flamenco dancers, but he grimaced at the bullfight.

  "Have you seen a bullfight?"

  He shook his head.

  "Don't you think you should see one before you leave Spain?"

  He shrugged.

  "We can leave that until last. If we're going to make the train, we'll have to leave soon. The train departs at 10:05." He nodded at her and Madeleine reached for the phone. She called down to the desk. "This is Miss Price. Would you please ask the Director if it would be possible for me to take a car out today? I want to take Dr. Faraday on an outing. I think he needs to get away from his surroundings."

  "Hold on, Miss Price. I'll check that for you."

  Madeleine found the staff at the Institute to be amazingly reliable. A few seconds later, the Director's voice came over on the phone. "Miss Price, I think that's an excellent idea. I'll have the car pulled around to the front and I'll leave some Eurodollars at the front desk. I don't want you paying for Dr. Faraday's therapy yourself."

  "Really, that's not necessary, sir. I'm sure I can manage."

  "I won't hear of it. I know what we pay you, and I know you're trying to earn your passage home. In fact, why don't you arrange several trips for Dr. Faraday? You've done all you can with the resources at our disposal. Perhaps all he needs is new stimuli."

  "That's an excellent idea, sir. I have several options."

  She rang off and turned around to Steven. "The Director thought it was wonderful, and he's going to pay for it. Let's go."

  The next morning when Madeleine got up, she noticed the books from the library. Love sonnets were not something she needed to read, and she'd kept them a long time. It was time to return them.

  After breakfast, she asked Steven if he wanted to accompany her.

  Madeleine held the stack of books under her arm as they stepped into the room.

  "Go ahead and look around. If you see something you like, I'll read it to you when we get back this afternoon."

  She set the books down and walked around the shelves. She found a periodical section and picked up a popular American magazine. "I can't believe it. Look who's gotten married." He walked closer and peered over her shoulder as she read. "A lot happens in a month."

  She read for a few minutes then put the magazine to the side. Since she wasn't sure he could read yet, she couldn't leave him sitting there with nothing to do.

  She grabbed the stack of love sonnets and reached up to put them on the shelf. When one of them fell to the floor, she bent to pick it up.

  A sheet from a yellow legal pad stuck out from under the book jacket. She pulled it out and unfolded it, and her heart began to beat erratically. She looked at Steven then she looked back at the papers.

  "Steven," she whispered. "It's your work! I found it!"

  He clapped his hand over Madeleine's mouth. "Shhh."

  Madeleine's eyes bulged, and she nodded her head.

  He let her go.

  From out in the hall, they heard voices.

  "Madeleine?" It was Dr. Giliteau. "Madeleine!"

  Steven opened his mouth and spoke in a quiet voice. "Answer him."

  Madeleine gaped at him. He'd been faking. He'd made a fool of her.

  "Answer him!" He folded the papers and stuck them back in the book jacket.

  She moved toward the door. "I'm coming, Franc. What is it?"

  "I thought I saw you come in here."

  Madeleine turned to Steven. "Take that book to my room, Steven."

  He stared blankly at her.

  "Steven, plea
se. You'll be fine. Take the book to my room."

  He wasn't going to budge.

  Madeleine turned her back on him and looked at Dr. Giliteau expectantly.

  "Since we didn't get out for our walk last night, what would you say to dinner tonight?" he asked, idly playing with a strand of her hair.

  "That would be lovely. I'll have to get a baby-sitter. You see how he is. Why don't we say tomorrow night? I know I can get a sitter by then."

  He picked up her hand and kissed it. "I look forward to it."

  Madeleine left the room. She wanted to get as far as possible from Dr. Steven Faraday. She pushed the button on the elevator. Then she leaned inside and pushed the button for floor one. That would occupy the elevator and give her a chance to barricade herself in her room. She ran for the stairs and climbed as fast as she could.

  She unlocked the door to her room and went straight to the dividing door. She locked it and put a chair underneath it. She had a lot of thinking to do.

  Madeleine climbed onto her bed, still exercising strict control on her emotions.

  She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw things at him! The lowdown, double-dealing, lying, cheat. Hot tears of anger streamed down her face. How could he?

  They could have shared so much. She'd practically poured her life into him, and he was fine. There was nothing wrong with him. Who knew about this?

  Mike, probably, but not anyone else. That explained why Mike was never too concerned about staying to watch Steven. He knew there was nothing wrong with him.

  Oh Lord, why didn't you tell me?

  A loud banging started at her door.

  She ignored it. If he could pretend, so could she.

  She heard his bedroom door slam and the dividing door rattle as he banged on it. "Madeleine, open this door. We need to talk."

  That was rich. All the times she'd begged him to speak to her.

  "Go away."

  "Madeleine, please. I know you're angry and hurt. Open the door."

  His voice was deep, deeper than she'd expected. She'd waited for so long to hear it. She'd longed for him to speak to her, and here he was. Tears cascaded down her face.

  "If you don't open this door, I'll break it in."

  She looked at the door in alarm. Could he do that? Surely not with the chair against it.