The Surgeon and his Lady

Chapter I

People say it's the eye contact that makes true love. For me, it's the way he handles the knife. But then again, I was addicted to the operation of the human body. I dress as a man whenever I go to see him because being a woman in Australia is bloody difficult. Being the governor's daughter even more so. But the only thing that remained to make me a woman was my waist-length (h/c) hair and the corset snuggly set around my waist.

I was really only missing a few things. Organ wise. A heart, another kidney, and a male's genitalia. But he was late. And wasn't going to stick around for another doctor who couldn't give me what I wanted because I had a man to meet. My mother had long since given up on my getting my sister Belle married so she had moved onto me so that Fanny could get married. "Cut! Cut! Cut!" The men around me bellowed.

My coin purse sat on my waist as I watch Dr. Jack Dawson enter with Dr. Rainsford Sneed. I pushed my way to the front, my hat jostled and I placed my hand on the top of it to keep it in place. I clapped and Jack made eye contact with me. He nodded simply at me and I found myself chanting with the other men. Making sure to not raise my voice. I was jostled and finally, I took my hat off, letting my hair rest around my shoulders.

I think it was the first time Jack had seen me without my hat. He simply knew me as the person who donated to his hat fund. I could tell because his eyes widened a fraction. "Gentlemen, the Royal Hospital somewhat proudly presents Dr. Rainsford Sneed." Jack says to the men and I clap kindly. He picked something up and moved to stand in front of me. "And the much-celebrated Dr. Jack Dawkins!" He announces.

The shouting and cheering picked up as I was pushed out of the way by a man, effectively getting rid of any chance I had of watching. "Excuse me." I growl and the man looks down at me. He studies me for not even a moment before turning around. I kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall down on one knee. "I may be a woman but I will bite and I know how to do a Prostatectomy which is the removal of your prostate." I whisper to him.

My hand was gripping the hair at the back of his neck as everyone watched us. "Now, I'm going to let you go and you are going to stand behind me because you are far taller than I and I actually pay to watch these surgeries." I snap at him as I pull his hair so that he was once again behind me. I looked at the two surgeons before I nodded my head as I settled my gloved hands onto the railing. I smile at the two surgeons who seem to be unsure.

"Oh, just take the man's leg off! I've waiting hours for you to get here, Dr. Dawkins, and I'm not waiting. Neither is he." I shout at them and they both nod. And they began. A man with a broken leg from falling down a mineshaft. "The question, though, is who cuts?" Jack questions and I clap loudly, pulling off my gloves to reveal my nicely shaped nails. He walked over to me and offered me the pound.

"Lady?" He says and that is all I need. "Call it in the air!" I shout, flicking it. Jack remained silent while Rainsford called for heads. It landed in my palm and I turned it over onto the back of my left hand. "Tails." I tell them as I reveal the coin, handing it back to Jack. They spoke for a moment before Jack returned his gaze to the audience. And to me. My fingers itched to reach out and do the surgery myself as I pulled out my pocket watch.

It would take me 20 minutes to get home, and I wanted that leg and that would take at least 10 minutes to negotiate for. "Gentlemen, and lady. Dr. Sneed here seems to think that I can't amputate this leg in less than his record of 43 seconds." He says and I smile. So, I could make it home before three. Jack leaned down to the patient, whispering to him before standing back up. He then went over to the medical box and picked up a medical knife.

He flipped the knife, blade over the hilt before catching the hilt. "Time me." He says, catching my attention. I began counting the seconds from the moment he started. Tearing off the leg of the man's pants, he sliced the skin. Just enough that he could get his saw in. The leg fell from the table with a thump and I looked at the time. Bugger. I had overshot and I'd need to be home in 10 minutes to get ready.

I pushed through the men and rushed down to the table. "I need that." I say to Jack, leaning over the still-conscious man. "I need that leg, I'll pay for it, and I need it in the next 30 seconds which is about how long it took for you to take off that leg." I gasped out, as Jack began sewing up the stump. I was growing frustrated as Jack cut the string. "Time?" He asked the man at the end of the operating table. "28 seconds." He announces.

Sneed gave Jack a pound before Jack turned back to me. "Can we hurry up with the leg? I'm late!" I complain to Jack and he smiles. "You'll pay me?" He asks and I nod. "26 pounds?" He asked and I scratched my nose. "Not on your life. But I will give you 26 pounds for the leg and the next deadman that comes across your table." I hurry out, catching both his and Sneed's attention. "What, I need a prostate, a kidney, and a heart to complete my organ collection."

I explain as I maintain eye contact. "Fine." He says, handing me the leg as I handed him 13 pounds. "You'll get the rest when I get my Prostate." I say and as I pass the hat, I chuck in another five pounds for good measure. "I'll be back tomorrow, Dr. Dawkins." I call over my shoulder as I run out, completely forgetting about my own hat. I ran all the way home, blood from the leg covering my clothes and clotting in my hair.

"You're late!" Fanny hisses at me as I grin at her. As I try to enter the house she holds out her hand. "You are not bringing that in here." She continues and I hold it out to her. She flinches away from it and I rush inside and upstairs to my room. The only difference between my room and Belle's was that I had organs and half a skeleton. Well...Belle gave me the organs and skeleton to look after.

Soon, both Belle and Fanny were in my room as I was removing the corset from over the top of my white shirt. "I know you like cutting it short, but this is ridiculous, (y/n)." Belle hisses as me as she and Fanny begin getting me ready. "I would have been earlier but it was Dr. Dawkins performing the surgery today. I just couldn't help myself." I sighed, a dreamy expression spreading across my face as Belle began lacing me into my corset.

"The way he cuts, it makes me feel as though I was performing surgery with him. What I wouldn't give to do that." I sigh again, Fanny helping me into my large and unmanageable dress. However, obtaining my now bloody clothes was very easy when I lied and said it was for a husband. I had even used the name Jack because I could think of another name for my fake husband. And then I just got clothes that were flattering for my body type.

I was led outside by both Belle and Fanny. "See the only reason I even have to see this gentleman is so that Fanny can get married. They've already given up on Belle." I sigh. This would be my first suitor. The others had been seen and sent away by Belle. And on top of that, his name was... "The honorable Mortimer Smales is soon to arrive, and we have done so much. All you have to do is look pretty." Fanny says and I scoff.

"What kind of name is Mortimer Smales?" I demand from her as I shake my head. This man had sailed four months from England and I knew that I was going to turn him down. "Do you know how much effort it takes to get potential suitors out to Australia?" Fanny asks rhetorically. I shrug before I pull away from them to walk back over to my new leg. "I was missing this." I coo and as I reach for it, Fanny smacked my hand away.

"You'll ruin your dress." She said before pulling me out of my room so that I wouldn't start smelling of whatever I was fermenting. I believed it was my most recent addition of a pancreas. Sorry...Belle's most recent addition of a pancreas. Because she had made it very clear that the organs I was collecting and paying for were hers because she was the eldest. "Fine, I will meet this gentleman, if only to please you, Fanny." I promise her.

Then suddenly, my breath was caught in my lungs. My sisters both left quickly, but I stopped, my chest tightening. It was becoming an awfully familiar and it was happening more frequently but only at home. There were even times when the feeling would make me sick and I would spend days in bed, only making it worse. Then I would return to the operating room and the sickness would leave me. 

Perhaps this was related to my Hospital visits?