"No, I don't think so," Ted admitted after a moment's thought. "I just didn't expect you to be so creative. I've seen people suspended between two chairs in hypnosis stage shows, but I never dreamed that I'd ever wind up like that. It was kind of cool." Ted smiled at me.
"So you're happy with tonight's events, then, Ted?" I asked him.
"Yeah, it was great," Ted confirmed as he sat there looking at me, with a slightly dreamy expression on his face.
"It's too bad you're not a bank manager, Ted," I said to him with a huge grin on my face.
"Why's that?" Ted asked puzzled.
"Because bank managers interest me, Ted," I said to him carefully and clearly.
"Bank mana." Ted started to comment, but his response was cut off as his eyes closed and he sank back into the sofa. Ted's response to his trigger phrase was total and complete. He was back into his hypnotic trance in only a heartbeat or two. The small grin on his face testified that he was feeling pretty good and happy to be back under.
"Happy to be back in hypnosis aren't you, Ted?" I asked him.
"Oh yes, sir. And to be back in your power, sir," Ted confirmed as he sat there awaiting his next command.
I counted Ted back out of hypnosis.
Ted opened his eyes and looked over at me. "Let me guess," Ted said with a smile on his face. "You were just testing to be sure that the trigger worked, right?"
"Yup," I confirmed with a smile of my own. "But if I told you that before hand, it wouldn't be as much fun."
"I suppose so. It's good to know that the trigger works. What now?" Ted asked me as he sat back in the sofa and rested his hands in his lap.
"Ted, you're not yet completely out of hypnosis, you know," I cautioned.
"Really?" Ted said surprised. "What does that mean?"
"It means that you're still very susceptible to suggestion right now, which is normal," I answered him. "It usually takes from three to seven minutes for a subject to completely come out of hypnosis. So this is nothing for you to worry about."
"I'm not worried about it, but at the same time I find it difficult to believe you," Ted said as he smiled at me. "I grant that you're good at hypnotizing me, but unless you say my trigger and I agree to it, nothing is going to happen. I know that, and you know that, so your warning is really unnecessary."
"I could prove it to you, if you like," I said to Ted with a smirk on my face.
"Okay, prove it to me," Ted challenged me. He looked me with a slightly defiant but good-natured expression on his face. "But I should warn you that I'm going to resist what ever you try."
"Well, it's your subconscious, Ted, that would like to go back into hypnosis," I said to him. "All I have to do is suggest an action for you to take that would put you back into hypnosis, and you'll do it, because in your subconscious you want to go back into hypnosis."
"Paul, that's a line of bull. You know it and I know it," Ted said as he laughed at me. "But go ahead and tell me what to do. I'm not going to do it, though."
"In your case Ted, it would have to be something that you might associate with a submissive action," I said as I tried to think of something. I looked at Ted, and then the idea popped into my mind. "Okay. I've got it," I said cheerfully.
"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Ted said with a chuckle.
"All you have to do Ted, is to get down on your hands and knees, and to start barking like a dog. With each bark that you utter you'll feel yourself going back under. When you've barked ten times, you'll be back in hypnosis and deeper in my power than you've ever been before," I instructed him. (The last phrase about being 'deeper in my power than ever before' was a direct and non too subtle appeal to Ted's subconscious mind. Before you ask, no I did not help out the situation by sending any commands into Ted's mind. This was strictly a test of Ted's post hypnotic susceptibility.)
"Good grief!" Ted exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "That's crazy, Paul! There's no way in the world that I'd do something like that!" Ted walked out from between the sofa and the coffee table to stand beside me as I sat in the swivel rocker. Apparently, it had not dawned on Ted that he had just moved himself into a position where he would be able to drop down on his hands and knees. While sitting on the sofa, there wasn't enough room to do that. I enjoyed looking up at Ted as he stood beside me. He looked so dapper standing there, that I wanted to reach out and start caressing his well dressed body. Fortunately, I was able to curb that impulse.
Ted stood there, looking down at me and grinned, completely sure of himself. "You sure do come up with some strange ideas, I'll grant you that," Ted said as he looked down at me. "Hang on a sec," Ted said as he knelt down on his left knee. 'My right shoe feels loose." Ted bent down, untied and retried his right shoe lace. "There that's better," he declared. As Ted started to get up he slipped or stumbled and wound up falling forward onto the carpet. He caught himself just in time by thrusting his arms out in front of him.
"I hate to have to point this out to you, Ted," I said without even trying to conceal the smile of triumph on my face. "But, you are now on your hands and knees."
"Yeah, but it was a WOOF accident," Ted said as he barked once, while responding to my statement. "I didn't intend WOOF to get down on my hands WOOF and knees."
"Uh, Ted, you're starting to bark," I pointed out to him.
"No. WOOF, I'm not. WOOF. WOOF," Ted denied as he looked over at me.
Already I could see his eyes starting to take on that slightly glazed and far away look that signals the beginning of a hypnotic trance. "Oh but you are, Ted," I argued with him. "I've already counted six 'woofs'. Four more and you'll be back in my power."
"That is WOOF completely, WOOF nuts!" Ted declared emphatically, but his speech was starting to slow down, just a bit. "I've had enough hypnosis for one night. WOOF! I really don't want to do any more hypnosis. WOOF!"
With the last bark Ted's face became blank for a few moments, and then a smiled blossomed on his face as he let out a long deep sigh. His eyes glazed over completely as they took on a far away look. He was back in hypnosis, despite his protests to the contrary. Oh how I love to be proved right.
"Good boy, Ted," I said as I reached over and patted him on the head. I couldn't help but smile at Ted and at the situation. I was really enjoying myself. (You would have been enjoying yourself too, if you'd been in my position, I'm sure. I would much rather have patted Ted's behind instead of his head, but you can't have everything.)
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Ted agreed happily.
"Now be a good boy, and hand over your wallet, Ted. After you surrender you wallet to me you can stand there on all fours and wait for further instructions," I commanded him.
Ted's eyes lit up as he nodded his head vigorously. He reached back with his right hand and dug frantically into the right hip pocket of his suit pants. He whipped out his wallet and practically threw it at me in his excitement to hand over his wallet to me. I think I had struck a nerve, as they say.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Ted panted urgently at me as he stood there on his hands and knees looking at me, waiting for his next command. It seemed that Ted had taken on the submissive role of being my 'dog' without my having to suggest it to him, which was fine by me. It was a pity that the role playing would have to be cut short.
I counted Ted out, and waited to see what his reaction would be. One thing was for sure, I was going to enjoy this. It was going to be very interesting.
Ted stopped panting and a perplexed look crossed his face as he looked about the room. He looked over at me and his confusion grew stronger. He looked down at himself, noticing for the first time that he was on his hands and knees. The expression on his face moved from confused to bewildered.
"What in the world just happened?" He asked me as he tried to make sense of his situation. "What am I doing on my hands and knees?"
'You know, Ted," I chuckled at him as I answered his question.
"Oh my God!" Ted exclaimed as events of the past few minutes rolled through his mind, and he came to inevitable conclusion. "I actually did it! I barked my way back into your power!" Ted looked at me the shock and surprise frozen on his face as he remained there on his hands and knees. "Wow." Ted cried out softly as he came to accept what had just happened. "You're good. You're really good." A few seconds later Ted slowly climbed to his feet, dusted off the knees of his pants and adjusted his clothing.
"Did you enjoy yourself, Ted?" I asked him calmly as I looked up him.
"Yeah, actually, I did," Ted admitted and grinned at me as he came to recognize the humor of the situation. "Now that I'm back to normal, would you mind handing me back my wallet? I'm going to need it."
"Sure thing," I said I held out Ted's wallet to him. (No I did not rummage through Ted's wallet. That would have been rude, not to mention an invasion of privacy.) "So how does it feel to be proven wrong?" I taunted him.
"A heck of a lot better than you might think," Ted informed me with a satisfied grin on his face, as he took back his wallet and replaced it in the right hip pocket of his pants.. "Do you think we can continue to do stuff like this in future?"
"I don't see why not," I answered. "I think we should call it quits for tonight though. I think you've had enough. I know I have."
"What do you mean, you've had enough?" Ted asked me as I stood up and walked over to where he was standing.
'Well, these hypnosis sessions do require effort on my part, you know," I informed him. "I have to orchestra the events, and that takes time, effort and energy. You probably get more out of the hypnosis than I do"
"I never looked at it that way. I suppose you're right," Ted agreed after a few seconds of thought. "Of course, I'm kind of new at this whole hypnosis thing. It never occurred to me that the hypnotist would have to do any work during the session."
"Well, he or she does," I assured him. "Any other questions before you leave?" I was escorting Ted towards the front door. As tempting as it was to explore Ted's suit this evening, I wasn't really in the mood to reveal to Ted that I was gay, and have to deal with the repercussions that would entail. It had been my experience that with the exception of gay subjects, most straight subjects became upset when they learned that they had been hypnotized by a gay man. (Why straight men have that misconception about gay men is one of the mysteries of life. But enough about that.) Ted was straight. I knew that because I could see it clearly in his mind when I had scanned his mind earlier in the evening. I did not know his views on gay people and frankly I wasn't in the mood to learn. I was tired. The last two days at work had been somewhat more stressful than normal, and being involved in the bank robbery yesterday had not helped matters any. I needed some rest.
"I guess not. Well, not right now anyway," Ted answered. "May I call you some evening if I do have any questions about hypnosis, or to arrange a time for another session?"
"By all means," I answered. "I'm in the book." We had arrived at the front door and I had just unlocked it.
"It's amazing, you know," Ted said as he was about to leave my apartment.
"What's amazing?" I asked him, although I had a fairly good idea what was on his mind.
"Well that I came over here tonight to vent my anger and frustration at you about what happened at the bank, and I wound up on my hands and knees barking like your pet dog," Ted said with a grin. "I could never have imagined something like this happening."
"Life is full of surprises," I said as I ushered him out of the apartment. "I'm glad it is, otherwise life would be terribly boring."
"Yeah, it would. I'll see you later, hopefully," Ted said as he walked through the doorway.
"Good night, Ted," I said firmly. (Some people just don't know when they are being asked to leave, it seemed.)
"Good night, Paul," Ted said as he turned away and started walking towards the bank of elevators.
"Some people have to have the last word too, it seems," I thought to myself, as I closed and locked the front door. I headed to the kitchen for a nice relaxing cup of tea. I could really use one. I was beat. I looked at the kitchen clock. It was 9:15 PM. Ted had been here just over an hour and three quarters. It felt longer. One cup of tea later, I headed off to my empty and lonely bed. I missed not having Andy here with me to sleep with. Life is full of positives and negatives. The night's unexpected events with Ted Carson were undeniably a positive. Not having Andy here to cuddle up with in bed was a definite negative. Those were my last thoughts as I laid my head on the pillow of my bed and sleep overtook me.
Chapter 11. Ripples In The Water.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound had burned into my brain. I couldn't forget that sound if I lived to be one thousand years old. Even now, here in the waiting room I could still hear that sound. The worst part was the waiting. Trying to read my book was a sham at best. I was half way through the book and I hadn't the foggiest notion what the story was about. Have you ever tried NOT to think about something? It's difficult isn't it? Well, then you have some dim idea of what I was dealing with.
Now imagine that you are on stage in front of a concert hall packed with the worst drama and theater critics who ever lived. Your whole world depends on you giving a stellar performance, you've had a grand total of maybe thirty seconds to rehearse, and you've never seen the script before. Now if you have followed me this far, take that feeling and multiple it a thousand fold and you will get some inkling of what I was feeling and dealing with as I sat there in that waiting room. It was all I could do to keep up the sham of reading my book and waiting for some news. I suppose I could have gone home. There was no doubt that it would have been easier on me, but I wouldn't have felt any better. If anything I would have worried more, and if I was going to worry I might as well do it in a room where people were expected to worry.
I closed my book, and laid it on my lap as I quietly gave up on trying to do any more reading. I closed my eyes and the events of the past few hours came rolling back into my mind, unbidden and unwelcome. I didn't want to think about it, to go through it again, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as the tides of memory washed over me and dragged me out into the sea of despair again.
It was early Thursday evening when Chuck called on me. I can still remember the look on Chuck's face when I answered the door after he'd rung my bell. (Looking back on it now, he had that cool, detached, professional look on his face that could only mean bad news. At the time though, I had no idea what that look meant.) I invited Chuck inside and asked him if he wanted a coffee. Chuck followed me inside, declining the coffee and asked me to sit down with him on the sofa.
"So what's on your mind, Chuck?" I asked him cheerfully as we sat down on the sofa next to each other.
"There's no easy way to say this, Paul," Chuck said softy, turning away from me.
"To say what, Chuck?" I asked him curious as to why he seemed so subdued.
Chuck turned his head slowly back towards me. "It's Andy," he blurted out, looking directly in my eyes.
"Andy?" I repeated not understanding, or not wanting to understand, what he was implying.
"Yes, Andy," Chuck said quietly. "He's been shot, while on duty."
"Shot?" I asked stunned. Suddenly I felt I'd just been shot. Shot through the heart. "Andy's been shot?" I asked stupidly. (As if Chuck was going to come and tell me that some other RCMP constable had been shot. Well, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time.)
"Yes, Andy's been shot," Chuck confirmed quietly. "I'm so sorry. I thought it best if you heard the news from me. No one else on the force is likely to tell you." There were tears starting to form in Chuck's eyes as he stared into mine. They said far more than his words ever could. Chuck sniffed back a sob once or twice as I sat there paralysed by the completely unexpected news.
"Is he?" I asked, unable to complete the sentence.
"No," Chuck choked out the words. "He's not dead, but he is badly wounded. I.II don't know many of the details. I do know that he's in surgery right now."
I sat there looking at Chuck and tried to slowly absorb his words. Andy wasn't dead. I let the relief of that truth wash over me like a sudden spring shower falling down on just planted bedding plants. It didn't wash away my worries, but it did bring hope. I cling to that thread of hope as I let the meaning of Chuck's other words sink into my mind. Andy was hurt. He was hurt badly. He was in surgery.
Chuck's soft sobbing wrenched my attention away from my own worries and back to the big strong man in the RCMP uniform who was sitting next to me, and weeping like a lost little boy looking for his mommy. I reached out with my arms and slowly, carefully, gently I wrapped them about Chuck. I pulled Chuck next to me, next to my chest. I cradled him in my arms as best I could, and I held him close. I joined him in his crying. I sobbed along with Chuck. I felt Chuck's arms snake their way about me as he enfolded me in his arms. Sometimes, there are no words. Only tears. Only holding, and hanging on.
We stayed like that for a while. How long, I can't say. We cried until we couldn't cry anymore. Finally, we broke away from each other. I handed Chuck a Kleenex . We both wiped our tear stained faces as we tried to regain our composure.
"I'm sorry, Paul," Chuck said to me as he looked at me. "I didn't meant to break down like that."
"It's okay Chuck. Sometimes what you need is a good long cry, instead of a good strong drink," I said to him. "Thank you for telling about Andy."
"I thought he'd want you to know," Chuck muttered.
"I'm sure he would, and I know he'll thank you for doing this, for coming over here to tell me this news. Can you drive me to the hospital?" I asked Chuck.
"Yes, but do you think that's wise?" Chuck retorted.
"Wise? What do you mean?" I asked curious as to where Chuck was going with this.
"You can't come unglued at the hospital, like you did just now, Paul," Chuck said stonily, but with a gleam of compassion in his eyes. "You know what that would mean for Andy. If you can't play the part of being a good friend of his, then you'd best stay away from Andy."
I felt like I'd just been slapped in the face. I looked at Chuck and felt a flash of anger surge through me. As quickly as it came, it left me. Chuck was right. God damn it, he was right. I couldn't let my true feelings show if I were to see Andy in public. I took a couple of deep breaths. "I can do this Chuck," I said to him a cool calm voice. "Just let me get a book to take with me, and we can be on our way." I stood up and walked into my bedroom to get the novel that I was reading.
"Fine," Chuck called out to me as I started to leave the room. "I'm sorry to have to put you through this. I know you care about Andy, but so do I. I won't let you jeopardize his RCMP career."
I stopped, and turned around. I walked over to Chuck and placed my right hand on his left shoulder. "You're right, Chuck," I said to him as I surrendered to the logic of his argument. "Please, promise me that if you see me start to slip up, you'll hustle me out of there for a coffee or something. Okay?"
"Yeah, but if you're not sure you can do this, should you even be going?" Chuck inquired as he looked into my eyes with concern.
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