| Spoiler warning! This article or section contains major spoilers for the plot of Blood is Mine Chapter 1: The Hospital and onward. New readers are advised to proceed with caution. |
Dr. Finch is a medical professional previously employed at the same hospital as Jane Doe. He was present at the hospital on the day of the Tobu Robotics Hack and was able to hide in the laundry room. He is responsible for figuring out that the door ripper hunted based on the smell of humans, and that hiding from it was possible if one didn't smell of humans. He was recognized by Jane Doe when she found him hiding in the laundry room.
He claims to be a genius, and given the fact that he has had knowledge on every conceivable topic Jane or anyone else has asked him about, this claim seems accurate. He has been a great resource and companion and the team has latched on to him quite completely, affectionately calling him "The Finch", though usually only when he's not around. As he's not really skilled in regards to combat, he is usually more of a support character. He spends a great deal of time in his lab, providing knowledge and insight when the party runs across something they don't understand.
Dr. Finch's appearance has not changed much since he appeared in the hospital. Aside from new glasses, the biggest difference has been his hair growing out and showing that he is beginning to go grey. He has said that it's just because he hasn't found time to dye it, but told Jane that if anyone else asked, she was to say that the intensity of his focus and the stress of the situation has driven his hair to change hues, as that sounds much better than telling them he's just not found time to dye it. He also lost his lab coat during his stint in captivity at the hands of the feds.
His first name is currently unknown to readers.
Early Life
Dr. Finch was born in the middle tiers. He has one brother, and his parents are still alive. He does not have much contact with them. As he grew older and more educated, he realized that the views of his family were damaging and did not match his own. He claims that they hold ill views of those with mutations and the genetically engineered, and has deemed them "rather atrocious human beings".
At some point. Dr. Finch met and married a woman whose name is unknown. Their marriage did not last long. According to Dr. Finch, his professionally-minded attitude may have gotten in the way of his relationship and led to it ending. He also eventually found employ at the hospital, where he came to know Jane Doe, as she worked there as a nurse prior to her "death".
Dr. Finch's appearance from Chapter 2 onward, showing his greying hair.
The Hospital
Main article: Chapter 1: The Hospital
On the day of the Tobu hack, Dr. Finch was presumably working as usual in the hospital. At some point after the bio-printer began churning out monsters, Dr. Finch somehow figured out that the door ripper monster could not see, but hunted based on scent, and so long as one didn't smell human, and the door ripper didn't get a good enough look, it was almost like the person was invisible to it. He then hid in the laundry room with a bottle of lemon-scented deodorizer, keeping notes, calling police, and tracking biopaste deliveries on his phone. Eventually he was discovered by Jane, whom he informed of his discovery and sprayed down with lemon scent. After Jane had freed Michelle from the break room, the two returned to the laundry room to retrieve him.
It was then that, with assistance from the large hands, the door ripper found them, impaling Dr. Finch through the door. He was saved by Jane and carried by Michelle to the operating room. With his coaching, Jane managed to perform surgery on him and safe his life with a blood transfusion. This was the first time Jane became aware of her ability to control people with her blood.
After the three of them defeated the bio-printer monster and escaped the hospital, he would spend the next month trying to help Jane understand her abilities.
Captivity
After his home was raided by men working for Gesenai Shirai, Dr. Finch was taken into federal custody following Arvin Carpenter releasing a strain of airborne streptococcus in his living room. The federal surgeons fixed the damage that the virus had caused to his lungs and throat, and then subjected him to blood testing to see if he harboured any unusual blood cells like those of Jane Doe or the cells present in Save the Queen. Jane managed to trick their blood testing machine, and Dr. Finch was subsequently let go.
He was originally sent to the same hospital where Macland Row was being treated, presumably by associates of Patton Thale, but managed to check himself out before he ran afoul of any of them.
Personality
Dr. Finch has a very multi-faceted personality. When he first appeared in the hospital, he was shown to be arrogant and quick to complain, and a bit cowardly. However, it is shown in Chapter 2 and onward that his experience in the hospital has sobered him a great deal. He has become driven to find answers as to who was responsible and why. He reveals to Jane that, with his intelligence and capabilities, he could be working in much more higher-paying positions, but chose to work in a run-down, middle tier hospital because he was afraid of the pressure to succeed. He decided instead to be a big fish in a small pond, as it were, but admits that his experiences have driven him to do more than he had been doing. Instead of cowering in laundry machines, he decided instead to do everything he could to fix what was wrong with the world.
Aside from this, Dr. Finch has been shown to be very generous and very excitable, especially when it comes to scientific phenomena. He also tends to go on tangents, and will go on forever if left unchecked. He is a frantic note-taker and enjoys puzzling away at things in his free time. He is a bit gun shy. Jane reveals that in the hospital, if Dr. Finch could perform a procedure without help from other doctors or nurses, he absolutely would. He is also a little socially inept, and has been shown to not really know what to do with displays of affection.
Abilities
Dr. Finch is very knowledgeable on very many subjects, from where to find ravens, to the behavior of rodents, to microbiology and beyond. He does not have much in the way of physical prowess, but his mental prowess is beyond compare. There have been few questions Jane has had that Dr. Finch has not been able to produce an answer to. He is also a skilled surgeon and has shown to be capable of anything from skin grafts to replacing an eye. He also has the odd ability to fit into very tight spaces, such as a laundry machine.
Relationships
Jane Doe
Prior to Chapter 1, it is assumed that Jane Doe and Dr. Finch only knew each other in a professional sense. However, after Jane saved his life and they escaped the hospital, the two have become closer as friends. He often provides advice, knowledge, and insight into things that Jane herself does not know much about. He also allowed Jane, Michelle, Fuse, and Caius to stay at his house. Dr. Finch is fond of Jane, and is willing and ready to help her in any way he can.
Ex-Wife
While their marriage did not last for very long, it is unknown how Dr. Finch's relationship with his ex-wife stands now, but it is likely safe to assume that it is not the greatest.
Trivia
- He has a very recognizable speech pattern.
- His sticking around through the end of the hospital arc was decided based on reader votes in the comments.
- Originally, he was meant to deliver exposition and be killed off, but ended up living because readers were so intent on saving his life. This is similar to the situation with Michelle, where readers being so intent on making sure she survived her injuries led to her not turning on Jane.
- His eyes are blue.
- He is the only person who still calls Jane Doe by her real name instead of calling her Blondie.
- Morgenstern has stated that he didn't want to give Dr. Finch a first name for fear of giving the same name to multiple important characters.
- He is deeply troubled by the existence of Bunker C.