Read Online Awakened (Intimate Relations) by Kate Douglas - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Douglas
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your memories to uncover things your conscious mind has forgotten. He told me we don’t really forget things, we just don’t have the ability to retrieve them consciously. The hypnotherapist helps the client recover those memories that are lost.”
Marc shrugged. Clearly she hadn’t convinced him. “Is it real?” He was shaking his head and smiling, but at least he didn’t look totally shocked. “When I think of hypnotism, I get the visual of those old cartoons with a magician swinging a ticking gold watch in front of a guy; you know, making some poor shmuck sing or cluck like a chicken. Guess I associate it with stage magic.”
“It’s a lot more than that. One time when he was in, I’d lost my cell phone and I asked him if he could help me find it. I was just teasing, but the place was empty so Dr. Chung hypnotized me—he said I was barely under, but he asked me to walk through my paces to when I remembered having it last. I found it. Turns out I’d carried it out in back to look at some of the pruning Ben had done, and I’d set it down on the back steps to help Lola move a heavy flower pot. When I was hypnotized, I vividly recalled setting it down and actually reminding myself not to forget where I put it. Which, of course, is exactly what I did.”
Marc still looked a bit dubious. Then he reached for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. “Not to put down your experience, but strangling a woman until she’s either dead or unconscious is a little more than a lost phone.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. I just wanted to let you know that it’s not scary to be hypnotized.”
He laughed. “And for that, I thank you. I’m not sure it’s real, though. I guess I keep thinking it’s some kind of scam, but if you’ll promise to go with me and stay with me, I’ll make an appointment with him. Will you do that?”
“Of course I will. And I can’t imagine sending you to do something like this on your own. I want to be there with you, Marc. It’s not at all scary, though. At least the process isn’t.”
She squeezed his hand. “I can’t promise what it will feel like, to unravel the story behind your nightmares, but I will be there. And if it’s the worst possible thing you can imagine, I will still be there.” She stood and grabbed her plate and coffee cup. “That’s what friends do. I’m going to get the dishes done, but first I’ll go find his card. You can call and leave a message. Maybe even set up an appointment.”
She went back to her room and found the card stuck to her bulletin board. “Here,” she said, handing the card to Marc. “You’ll probably get an answering machine. It is Sunday, after all.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a quick glance, then leaned over and kissed her.
She kissed him back, and then held up her own phone. “I’ve got a voicemail from Lola. I’m going to call her while you make an appointment. Then you can help me with the dishes, okay?”
He nodded and walked into the front room. Mandy called Lola, and sat down to hear all about her sister’s very first flight across the country.
But when it was Mandy’s turn, she left out all the details of her night with Marc.
* * *
Marc ended the call and wondered just how ready he was to find out the truth. Dr. Alden Chung sounded like an okay guy, and he said he could see Marc this afternoon, that he worked weekends and took days off midweek. There was no reason not to trust Mandy’s take on the man, and the conversation Marc had just had with him had been informative.
Besides, Mandy seemed to be a pretty good judge of character, and he loved her. He wished he could tell her how he felt, but it wouldn’t be fair. He was only just figuring it out for himself. If Dr. Chung helped him decipher his dreams and they turned out to be every bit as bad as he thought they might be, he’d never be able to tell her.
He didn’t want Mandy to have the added burden of his love if that was the case.
Marc shrugged. Clearly she hadn’t convinced him. “Is it real?” He was shaking his head and smiling, but at least he didn’t look totally shocked. “When I think of hypnotism, I get the visual of those old cartoons with a magician swinging a ticking gold watch in front of a guy; you know, making some poor shmuck sing or cluck like a chicken. Guess I associate it with stage magic.”
“It’s a lot more than that. One time when he was in, I’d lost my cell phone and I asked him if he could help me find it. I was just teasing, but the place was empty so Dr. Chung hypnotized me—he said I was barely under, but he asked me to walk through my paces to when I remembered having it last. I found it. Turns out I’d carried it out in back to look at some of the pruning Ben had done, and I’d set it down on the back steps to help Lola move a heavy flower pot. When I was hypnotized, I vividly recalled setting it down and actually reminding myself not to forget where I put it. Which, of course, is exactly what I did.”
Marc still looked a bit dubious. Then he reached for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. “Not to put down your experience, but strangling a woman until she’s either dead or unconscious is a little more than a lost phone.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. I just wanted to let you know that it’s not scary to be hypnotized.”
He laughed. “And for that, I thank you. I’m not sure it’s real, though. I guess I keep thinking it’s some kind of scam, but if you’ll promise to go with me and stay with me, I’ll make an appointment with him. Will you do that?”
“Of course I will. And I can’t imagine sending you to do something like this on your own. I want to be there with you, Marc. It’s not at all scary, though. At least the process isn’t.”
She squeezed his hand. “I can’t promise what it will feel like, to unravel the story behind your nightmares, but I will be there. And if it’s the worst possible thing you can imagine, I will still be there.” She stood and grabbed her plate and coffee cup. “That’s what friends do. I’m going to get the dishes done, but first I’ll go find his card. You can call and leave a message. Maybe even set up an appointment.”
She went back to her room and found the card stuck to her bulletin board. “Here,” she said, handing the card to Marc. “You’ll probably get an answering machine. It is Sunday, after all.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a quick glance, then leaned over and kissed her.
She kissed him back, and then held up her own phone. “I’ve got a voicemail from Lola. I’m going to call her while you make an appointment. Then you can help me with the dishes, okay?”
He nodded and walked into the front room. Mandy called Lola, and sat down to hear all about her sister’s very first flight across the country.
But when it was Mandy’s turn, she left out all the details of her night with Marc.
* * *
Marc ended the call and wondered just how ready he was to find out the truth. Dr. Alden Chung sounded like an okay guy, and he said he could see Marc this afternoon, that he worked weekends and took days off midweek. There was no reason not to trust Mandy’s take on the man, and the conversation Marc had just had with him had been informative.
Besides, Mandy seemed to be a pretty good judge of character, and he loved her. He wished he could tell her how he felt, but it wouldn’t be fair. He was only just figuring it out for himself. If Dr. Chung helped him decipher his dreams and they turned out to be every bit as bad as he thought they might be, he’d never be able to tell her.
He didn’t want Mandy to have the added burden of his love if that was the case.
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