The Knick

I'm looking for Dr. John Thackery.

I believe he's a surgeon here.

Dr. Thackery's office is on the second floor

on the west side of the...

building.

I'll have someone from surgical services take you to him.

Thank you.

Dr. Thackery, there is a Mrs. Alford here to see you.

I'm not expecting anyone.

I think she might be a patient.

Then tell her to make an appointment with Gallinger

and if it merits my attention, I'm sure he'll let me know.

She says she's a friend.

I assure you that my social circle

is sufficiently small that I would know anyone

foolish enough to call themselves any such thing.

Should I send her away?

Abby?

Hello, John.

Alford, I...

I didn't recognize the name.

Your husband's?

Wherever he may be.

It's good to see you.

No one handles the unexpected like John Thackery.

It's where I live.

Thank you, Nurse Elkins.

Please, take a seat.

I didn't know how else to go about this.

- I thought of writing a letter first. - No, no, no, it's fine.

You're here now.

In all my splendor.

I suppose you can surmise why I've come to you.

Of course.

Please don't be uncomfortable.

This is something I'm very used to.

In all the time we were together,

I could never get used to what you called normal.

I suppose it's only fair as you could never

get used to what everyone else called normal.

Well, Mrs. Alford...

let me take a look at you

and see what remedies I can offer.

Wait.

The light.

Of course.

Thank you.

My eyes can't bear it.

No, no. It's a common symptom.

Is the light still too much?

No. No.

I wouldn't blame you for wondering.

I'm not. Hold still.

I've only been with two men in my life...

you and my husband.

It was my husband.

What's past is past.

I'd really prefer not to get into it.

He didn't have it when I first met him.

It happened later.

With a girl in his office.

You've got good capillaries on the bridge

and healthy skin on the edges.

Apparently she had it.

You know, Abby, you owe me no explanations.

Everyone out there can stare and think what they want,

but I need you to understand.

Please, John.

Very well.

Hold still.

So...

it was a girl in his office?

She knew she had it.

She was too embarrassed to say anything.

She wasn't too embarrassed to have sex with my husband,

but telling him that she was a syphilitic whore,

well, that was more than she could bear.

You know, from what I recall,

you chose him

because you wanted more calm than I could give you.

It wasn't that simple.

Nothing with you ever was.

You were exciting

and brilliant.

I couldn't have loved you more.

I was so proud to be on your arm.

Most times when we were together,

I felt like I was taking the best bite of the plum.

It was the rest of it.

I just didn't need the chaos as much as you.

The rides in Coney Island are great fun once in a while,

but not every day.

Those rides were tame compared to you.

I had to choose

between two men who loved me.

A situation I most certainly will never find myself in again.

We can put your apparatus back on.

You're a good candidate for restoration but it won't be an easy go.

Very little has been.

How does it work?

Well...

the surgeon selects a piece of skin

from your arm here.

He then makes a flap which stays partially fixed to your arm

to keep the skin alive

and provide blood flow from that end.

He then attaches the other end of the flap to the bridge of your nose,

attempting as best he can

to connect a good blood supply.

A harness is then put in place for several weeks

to ensure that the arm doesn't come away from the face

and put stress on the connection.

When the skin is fully grafted

and has its own flow of blood from your face,

the piece is cut away from your arm

and then the healthy skin

is used to shape you something

where your nose would have been.

So it's awful.

With no bone or cartilage to support the skin,

it won't be more than a covering for that hole.

But it will partially restore you.

Not to what you were, I'm afraid.

I haven't been that for quite a while.

I'll give you the name of an excellent surgeon.

Won't you do it?

I'm not really able to right now.

Is it a matter of your schedule? I can wait.

No, no, no. It's just...

Dr. Gibbons at Bellevue has performed this many times.

I'd really feel more comfortable if it was you.

I know it's a lot to ask,

but try to remember me before.

Oh, I remember you perfectly.

Then please, John.

You look like trouble's been visiting you there, Herm.

A sudden tooth extraction.

You'll never catch me going to no dentist.

Keep sticking to your guns there, Dietz.

Barbarians, every one of them.

This one certainly was.

Go on, get yourself an edge. It'll take the sting.

I'll take a Phenacetin and rub some rum and cocaine on it.

It should be fine. I'm just here for my body.

That's gonna be a bit of a problem.

I took a better offer.

You promised me a dead man.

Some fellas from Cornell came by

and gave me 75 bucks for the stiff.

You've never given me more than 20.

For fuck's sake, Dietz.

I needed that corpse.

Effie, dear.

I'll... I'll be with you in just a moment.

I'm actually in a bit of a hurry.

- I'll only be a minute. - So will I.

Of course.

We'll reconvene later.

She's wearing more than a year of my wages on her back.

There was a day you would have apologized

for not introducing me.

Because I know you have no interest in meeting any of them.

Of course not, but now they know that.

My father always ran his haberdashery

with unfailing politeness.

Everyone of my class did.

You could certainly take a lesson from us.

And how polite was he when his creditors shut his doors?

Even then he was as courteous as a king.

Certainly kinder to me than you are being right now.

I'm sorry.

I'm in a bit of pain here.

My mouth feels like an attack from the hounds of hell.

You didn't even tell me you were going to a dentist.

- I should know these things. - It was last minute.

I wasn't expecting he'd pull the tooth.

It was foolish of you to let him.

Expect you're here for some money.

You left the apartment so quickly this morning,

I didn't even have a chance to ask.

Well, here you are

asking now.

It's not much.

I wanted to take a few friends to lunch

and the children need new suits for Sunday school.

And while I was out, I thought maybe I'd have

a little look for myself at Bonwit Teller.

Of course.

You haven't by chance

seen those pearl earrings that you bought me, have you?

No.

Not at all.

Are they missing?

They're no longer in my jewelry case.

I couldn't have misplaced them.

Perhaps the maid.

I was thinking that myself.

You need to fire her.

First thing when she arrives for work tomorrow morning.

How busy is it down here after, say, 11:00 P.M.?