Chapter Text
After examining his wounds and burns, Victor concluded that his patient was a suitable candidate for a skin graft. The problem was that Adam's remaining healthy skin was very limited, meaning he would have to use donor skin, something other doctors strongly advised against due to the high risk of rejection. Not to mention that Victor himself had performed very few operations of that type, mainly during internships as an assistant to other doctors.
However, the good news was that he was a diligent student and a quick learner, and he could easily obtain books on the subject. Even better, Mr. DeLacey, a blind man who happened to be the housekeeper, had assured him that Lord Lavenza had given Victor carte blanche to use all the funds necessary for his medical expenses and recovery.
So Victor took the trouble to walk around town looking for medical books and ingredients to combat pain and infection, rent the appropriate medical equipment from one of his more discreet colleagues, hire nurses to feed Adam and frequently clean his burns, both day and night; and talk to an old gravedigger 'friend' to ask him for bones, eyes, and the freshest skin he could find in less than a week. The closer it was to his benefactor's skin tone, the more he was willing to pay for it.
As night fell, Victor returned to the Lavenza estate with new boxes and equipment, ordering the servants to take them to the master's room, which was so spacious that he could easily fit a new compact laboratory there.
Strangely, Victor didn't see Elizabeth anywhere. But he didn't think much of it. Perhaps the girl had returned to her uncle's house out of decorum since they were not yet married.
But as she had promised, Victor's things were already in his new room. His guide had been the same servant who had looked for him in the morning, Felix DeLacey (who he later learned was the eldest son of the housekeeper).
The room was, surprisingly, quite elegant and spacious, with a large window overlooking a flower-filled courtyard. His bed was a double, with red sheets and bedspreads. It also had a large closet, a loveseat, a breakfast table with two chairs, a vanity, a desk and chair, a fireplace, a cane rack, and even his own bathroom.
Victor was, honestly, impressed. The Lavenzas had so much money that they could even afford luxuries for their private doctor. His old room at the Harlander estate didn't even have windows, much less a latrine.
Furthermore, he not only found on the desk the contract he was to sign to formalize his new employment as the Lavenza family physician, which he signed without hesitation, but he also noticed that the lord's quarters weren't too far from his own. He assumed it was for practicality.
After ringing a brass bell, he met Safie DeLacey, Felix's wife, who brought him a hot meal to the breakfast table. When he had his empty plate removed later, the woman couldn't bear it any longer and finally burst into tears, asking about her employer's condition between sobs and sniffles. Victor, trying not to be impolite, could only assure her that everything was fine while attempting to drink his glass of milk in peace, since only immediate family members had the right to such information.
"Please, save him, Doctor Frankenstein," Safie had said, wiping her cheeks with her apron. “Master Adam has always spoken very highly of you. Everyone trusts that you can save him.”
“He speaks of me… to you?” The servants, Victor prudently refrained from adding, looking at the woman in disbelief.
“Yes. You see… Master Adam has never been comfortable in the presence of certain people, so he prefers to stay indoors and spend his time with the servants or in the library. He says it’s because of expectations or something like that. I don’t know. He’s always been like that since we were children.” Ah. That explained Safie’s almost maternal concern. Victor had feared for a moment that the maid was in love with her master. “You and Miss Harlander are his closest friends. And he holds you in the highest regard. Master Adam always says that you could raise the dead if you so desired.” The woman laughed sadly as she cleared his plate and cutlery. “He admires you for your self-assurance and intelligence… Ah! I hope I haven’t said too much.”
“I see...” The surgeon didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to that. It was flattering and strange to know that Adam spoke of him so highly with others. “Don’t worry. Any information you can give me about Lord Lavenza will be helpful.” Victor assured her with a slightly forced smile. “By the way, could you provide me with any photographs of him?”
The woman nodded immediately, happy to be of assistance.
Before taking a bath and removing his prosthetic leg, Victor went to pay a quick visit to the lord while the servants heated the water for the tub.
As expected, he was asleep. The night nurse informed him that Adam had remained stable throughout the day, had eaten dinner, had had his bandages changed, and had required a blood transfusion. He also added that Adam had been asking about him. When Victor asked the reason, the nurse claimed not to know.
Upon returning to his bedroom, a photo album was already lying on his red sheets.
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“Victor. You... did not... sleep.” Adam said. His breathing was irregular and tired, but he sounded less pained than the day before thanks to the medicines Victor had created especially for extreme pain.
The nurse on duty had stepped out for a moment, leaving the doctor and his patient alone.
Victor lowered his notebook and frowned at Adam. He was on the other side of the bedroom, reading his own instructions on how to set up his laboratory. The words were somewhat blurry for some reason.
“I slept enough.” He said and continued reading, placing parts and tubes where they belonged. “You go back to sleep.”
“What did... you do… last night?” Adam persisted, perhaps bored of being stuck in bed.
"What else could I do but meticulously plan your future operation?" He replied, a little exasperated. He preferred to work in silence, which reminded him that turning Adam's room into his personal laboratory was a very bad idea because even while convalescing, the guy just wouldn't keep quiet.
"You can... finish that... later. Sleep."
“I’ve run out of medicine, Adam. I need to make more.”
"I will use... the ones... Dr. Krempe left behind."
"Those placebos won't take away your pain completely."
"But... they'll do the trick... while you sleep."
Victor stopped what he had been doing and his shoulders slumped. The truth was, he was very tired, and his eyes kept closing against his will. He had been so focused on finding the most effective technique for performing the skin surgery that he had spent the entire night and much of the early morning studying books and diagrams he had obtained instead of taking advantage of the comfortable bed.
“All right. You’re right.” He put a hand to his forehead and sighed, feeling somewhat dizzy. "I won't be any use to you if I'm tired during an emergency, will I? Wake me up at lunchtime."
Instead of returning to his own room, the surgeon leaned his cane against the wall and laboriously pulled the sofa by the window closer to the lord’s bed. The sofa was quite spacious and long, enough for him to stretch out completely, using one of the cushions as a pillow.
“Victor…”
“What?” He replied somewhat reluctantly, ready to offer medical justifications for his decision to sleep beside him.
“There are… blankets in... the closet.”
“Oh. Thank you.” He said, glad not to have to waste any more of his breath.
Victor picked up his cane again and trudged to the closet. He opened the doors, and with one hand on his hip, he began searching for the blankets with his eyes, trying not to look at Adam's clothes. He wasn't a gossip.
"Drawer... down."
Victor obeyed, bending down as far as he could to open the lower drawers, where he found several blankets. He chose a red one. Then he returned to the sofa and slumped into the seat. And only took off his left boot before putting his legs up on the seats.
"You smell... good." Adam remarked as Victor began to drift off. His voice sounded strange and deep. Although the doctor wasn't too concerned, considering he'd given him a general checkup just an hour before. "You use... the bath salts... I picked out."
"Hmm...? Yes, last night I took a bath with sea salts and oils I found." Victor replied after yawning. “It’s been years since I’ve had such a relaxing bath.”
“G-good. Did you like… your room?”
“Of course. It’s very luxurious and… cozy.” The doctor’s eyes closed and his breathing became steady.
“I am… glad. I myself… chose the furniture… for you.”
“Mm-hmm… By the way. Excuse my bad mood. I’m… tired.” He apologized, remembering Safie’s words.
Adam had always been kind to him since the day they met, and now he had even given him a job when he could have chosen other doctors with a better reputation than him. If it hadn't been for his jealousy, his friendship with the lord would surely have started in a less hostile manner. So the least Victor could do was improve his attitude towards him.
“I… understand.” Adam replied gently. “What… would you like… for lunch?”
“Mm… Something with meat. I haven’t had meat in weeks…” Victor’s voice gradually faded until it became a soft snore.
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The surgeon was awakened a few hours later by a hand on his shoulder, more specifically Felix's, who, upon seeing him awake, excused himself with a bow and left his employer's quarters.
"Ugh, I really needed to sleep." Was the first thing he said as he sat up, feeling less tired.
“I told... you so…” Despite the bandages on his face, Victor knew Adam was laughing at him because of his jovial tone of voice.
Victor rolled his eyes, put on his boot, and looked for his cane to get up. But before he did, he asked about his fiancée.
"Where's Elizabeth? She's allowed to visit you."
"She came... stayed for a moment... You were... asleep."
"Huh? What? Elizabeth saw me sleeping?" Victor felt himself go pale. While it was true he no longer intended to court her, that didn't mean he wasn't embarrassed to be seen in such a vulnerable state.
"Yes. She... approved of... you being with me."
Victor sighed and scratched his head, further ruffling his curls.
"Whatever. Why isn't she here right now?"
"Her uncle... got... seriously ill."
"So fast?" He inquired, confused. "The idiot probably took mercury again. I warned him." Realizing what he'd said, he tensed. Drowsiness usually turned off his moral filter. "Oh, please don't tell Elizabeth I said that..."
"Do...not worry. I won't." Adam assured him. He also didn't seem to think too highly of Henrich Harlander
"Perfect. Then I'll go back to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the nurse and Safie entered the room with trays of food. Ah, right. Lunchtime.
Instead of sitting at the breakfast table on the balcony, Victor asked the woman to bring the tea cart to the sofa so he wouldn't waste time and could eat quickly. Meanwhile, the nurse set up an overbed table before placing the tray with the food on it.
Victor had been served beef and mushrooms, while Adam's diet was restricted to soups, porridge, and easily digestible foods.
They ate in silence, clearly not feeling comfortable talking in front of the caregiver; only the clinking of cutlery filled the space. Victor was glancing at the newspaper that had come on the cart when Felix returned, looking troubled.
"Dr. Frankenstein. There are some people outside who want to see Master Adam."
"Tell them the patient can't receive visitors." Victor answered calmly, without pausing his meal. It seemed obvious to him that a person with such wounds should receive as few visitors as possible to avoid infection.
“I already did that. But…” The servant, nervously, proceeded to list the names of the visitors.
Ah. Of course.
Nobles.
They wanted to know when Lord Lavenza would die so they could begin their schemes and try to steal his fortune, most likely. Adam wasn't yet married to Elizabeth, nor did he have any children who could be his heirs, though that wouldn't deter those less scrupulous.
The same thing had happened to his family. Except that William had received some money their father had kept hidden. Victor never resented his little brother, but he did resent the man who now lay dancing with the worms.
However, Victor wouldn't allow that to happen right under his nose. So, angrily, he dropped his napkin and pushed aside the tea cart. His gaze met Adam's for a moment and he could see vulnerability peeking through his healthy eye.
“I’ll take care of it.” Victor said, bowing his head politely before resolutely leaving the bedroom. Adam nodded slightly in thanks.
It was the sharp tapping of his cane against the hall tiles that alerted the group of nobles of his presence. Victor recognized their faces but had completely forgotten their names.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The doctor began, immediately noticing their disapproving and suspicious gestures towards him. “I appreciate your concern for Lord Lavenza. But as the staff has surely already informed you, the patient is currently under strict intensive care. I suggest you return in about a month if you wish to visit him.”
Having said this, he heard men and women whispering behind their mustaches and fans.
“A month? Aren’t you being a little optimistic, Dr. Frankenstein?” A nobleman said with a smile that could only be described as malicious. Victor vaguely recognized his face from a few group outings with Elizabeth and Adam.
“It’s not optimism, it’s certainty. Mr…” Victor snapped his fingers, not even trying to hide the fact that he didn’t know his name. The nobleman, offended, tried to reply, but Victor took a step closer and looked him in the face, his brow furrowed in feigned concentration. “Oh, no. Is that a recent cold sore on your lip? You should see a doctor. That could be dangerous during intimacy between you and… your wife?” He smiled at the woman beside him, who was definitely not the same woman Victor remembered seeing him with before.
The woman glanced suspiciously at her husband, who looked back at her in horror, and grabbed his arm as they walked back the way they had come. Definitely everyone present noticed when they left the mansion because of the poorly disguised screams.
After that scene, several nobles withdrew immediately, either because they weren't truly interested in Adam's condition and were only pretending to be concerned for their own benefit, or because they had shown up out of pure morbid curiosity. One nobleman, however, stayed behind to confront Victor with absurd theories.
"Admit it, Frankenstein. You're waiting for Lavenza to die so you can take his fiancée."
Victor couldn't help but laugh derisively.
"What is this? An Emily Brontë novel?" Victor inquired, arms crossed, genuinely amused. "I'm curious. What will your next accusation be when everyone sees that Lord Lavenza survived thanks to my treatment? Enlighten me." He challenged him fearlessly. Oddly enough, knowing he had Adam's support gave him the courage to respond to the insults he usually had to ignore for his own survival.
This silenced the nobleman, who backed away, astonished because he had hoped to intimidate the doctor with a single theory. When he finally managed to formulate another one, a chubby man stepped between them.
“Gentlemen. It’s best if we leave this alone.” Dr. Waldman said with a kind smile. The nobleman grimaced but agreed to leave. “My dear Victor, you more than anyone should know that you can’t be saying things like that. Much less when the patient’s time is running out.” The senior doctor admonished him indulgently, placing a hand on his forearm as if to ask him to lead him to the exit. “Even so, you know I’ve always admired your impetuous desire to exceed expectations.”
If it had been someone else, Victor would have interpreted his words as condescending, withdrawn his arm to walk away. However, Dr. Waldman had not only been his professor and mentor at university, but was one of the few doctors he truly respected and with whom he still kept in touch, not because of his particular brilliance but because of his benevolence and neutrality. He was the closest thing to a father figure Victor had ever had.
“They started it.” The younger doctor understood that was very immature of him. Despite that, it felt good to be able to shut them up, even if it was just once in his life. “And I’m not lying, Professor Waldman. My duty as a doctor is to ensure the survival of my patients, even if Dr. Kremper decides to kill them while they’re still alive.”
Dr. Waldman, as usual, chuckled at his unwavering determination.
“I hope this isn’t just a pointless project to spite Krempe, Victor.”
“Of course not, Professor.” Victor wasn’t even offended by the question. Everyone in his generation knew of his rivalry with Dr. Krempe because of their opposing views. “While it’s true there’s a high probability of failure, Adam is my friend, and I’ll do whatever it takes to save him.”
“Ah.” Something flashed in the older man’s eyes, as if that explained everything, which made Victor feel a little self-conscious for some reason. “I understand. If you’re willing to risk your medical license for such a friendship, I suppose that means the outcome will be worth it.” The man continued, his affable smile never wavering.
Victor simply nodded. He knew that Dr. Waldman was not pointing that out as a threat but as a possible consequence. However, that didn't worry him too much. He wasn't going to be foolish enough to divulge every step of his process to other doctors; he would limit himself to what was ethically acceptable.
When they arrived at the main door, Victor shook hands with his former teacher and they said a warm goodbye.
Upon returning to the master's room, his plate of food was already cold. Adam looked at him questioningly as he picked up his cutlery again to continue eating. But before answering his questions, Victor ordered the nurse to take time off to rest and leave them alone, as the patient had already finished his meal. He then proceeded to give Adam a brief summary of what had happened in the hall, including the conspiracy theorist, which he somewhat regretted since the lord seemed saddened by the idea that the other nobles were being unpleasant to him.
"Leave it. I'm used to it." Victor said dismissively.
"You should not... have to go... through that.”
"Perhaps. But that's what happens when a nobleman falls from grace. I don't make the rules." He commented sarcastically after sipping from his glass of milk.
Adam seemed to want to say something else, but someone knocked on the door. Great, another interruption.
“Here’s an urgent telegram for you, Dr. Frankenstein.” Agatha, the housekeeper’s youngest daughter, announced, quickly handing him a small piece of paper before leaving.
Victor was initially confused. He had no other patients and no one else who required his services, much less after the altercation of a few minutes ago.
After reading the message, he felt his blood run cold and a pang of guilt.
“Oh.”
“Is… something wrong?” Adam asked immediately, worried about his reaction.
“No, nothing to worry about.” Victor shook his head and sighed. “It’s just a telegram from William asking why I didn’t take the train home yesterday.”
Adam’s previously relaxed posture stiffened noticeably, leading the doctor to believe for a moment that the patient was having some kind of epileptic seizure until he spoke.
“Were you… going back… to Geneva?”
“Yes… I mean no!” Victor snorted. He ran his fingers through his hair before explaining. “In the last letter I sent to my brother, I told him that I might return home if Harlander fired me. That was before you offered me this position.” That wasn't a lie, but it was better to leave out the part about the other job offer. “With everything that’s happened in the last few days, I simply forgot to write back and I worried him.”
The lord looked at him for a moment without saying anything. Victor felt nervous under his furrowed brow, not because of the visceral nature of his appearance; a completely bandaged head with a bloodshot eye bulging out and a mouth with more gums than lips, but because he realized that he didn't like lying to Adam, even if it was a white lie.
"I did not know... you had... a brother."
"Oh, that." Victor breathed a sigh of relief. Then he shrugged. “William is much younger than me and I haven’t seen him since I started university, but we communicate frequently through letters. I don’t usually mention him much for privacy reasons.”
That seemed to convince Adam, since his posture had relaxed again. Although Victor didn't understand why it had made him so tense in the first place.
“I’m… feeling pain.” Adam commented with a grimace after a silence.
Victor cursed under his breath. His medicine had worn off.
"Just a moment. I'll give you the generic medicine and a sedative. It's best if you sleep or you'll get stressed." The surgeon got up from the sofa without his cane and smoothly dragged his leg to the nearby nightstand, taking a pre-filled syringe from the drawer. “I’ll hurry and finish setting up my lab. We can discuss your operation tomorrow, okay?”
Adam managed a nod before falling asleep.