Splintered Lives (39 page)

“Oh Simon, would you ask Mark and Sahida to come with you, if they can manage it?
 
I know they have been together for some time now, and Charlie will be thrilled if they can come with you.
 
Charlie has always loved Mark’s cheeky humour.” Sarah tells him.

Chapter 55

Shortly after Sarah and David left Pokhara, Mark and Sahida moved in together, he first moved into Sahida’s flat, and then he sold his flat in
Manchester
and they bought a house together, close to Simon’s. He took up employment again, with the over sea’s department of his firm, and they found him jobs in the area where he lived.

Mark was happy with Sahida, he had never thought that he would give up his single life, but Sahida had won his heart.
 
He had not considered marriage and he thought Sahida was of the same mind. He thought their life was happy and settled, they saw a lot of Simon and Sahida’s family, as well as their own friends.
 
Mark sometimes had to spend time away, if he was working at the other side of Nepal.
 
Sahida fretted when this happened and she sometimes felt insecure.
 
She wanted to marry Mark, but she did not know how to pursue the idea.
 
When he was away, she had a dream that he was lost, and would not come back to her. He always came back and was never lost, as Sahida had seen in her dreams.
 
Mark was back with the love and humour there, for her to see.

 
Mark became very close to James, because they had a lot in common, travel, trekking and shared memories of Britain.
 
When Mark was in between projects and Sahida was at school, he would travel to the mountain villages with James, on his rounds.
 
He kept him company and they enjoyed their conversations on the way.
 
They rode in the vehicle and had lunch together in some of the village hostels, when they were lucky enough to find one.

They spoke about Simon, and Mark was determined for Simon to remember his past.
 
“He had such a good life with his mother and David; they were a perfect family when Anne came along.”
 
Mark told James “I hope that all the work you have put in with Simon, pays off.”

James has a friend, from his army days, who works in London, as a psychologist.
 
He promised to get in touch him, if Mark thought it would be beneficial for Simon, and he could get him to agree to see him.

“He was magic with the battlefield trauma soldiers, a real professional.”
 
James told Mark.
 

When Mark got the invitation from David to attend Charlie’s ninetieth birthday, he mentioned James’s friend to Sahida, and she agreed, that if Simon would see him, whilst they were all in Britain it could, perhaps, be of help to her nephew.

Sahida was pleased that she would be going to Britain with Mark and that they would be staying with her friend Sarah.
 
Simon and his family were going too, and Sarah had promised them that she would arrange accommodation for all of them.

James approached Simon about his friend in London and after Simon agreed to see him, James made an appointment for Simon, as soon as they arrived in Britain, before they traveled up north.
 
After the long air travel, Simon knew they would all benefit from a short stay, in London.
 
Sahida had been once before with her family, before she went to university.
 
She was thrilled for Mula and little Taj to see the sights, and for Mark and herself to see a show.
 
They stayed at the Strand Palace Hotel, because it was central and they could show the sights to Mula and Taj, whilst Simon could keep his appointment with James’s friend, Dr Paul Buka.

Simon found the surgery in Harley Street and approached the receptionist attentively.

He gave his name and was asked to wait in the waiting area, until his name was called.

Dr Buka was a well- respected, hypnotic memory -restoring doctor.
 
He had first worked on the battlefields, along with James but had then specialized in psychology.

He was young, enthusiastic about his work, and he had studied with the best professors in that field of medicine.
 
He had a full workload but had made the appointment for Simon because of his respect for James, who had saved his life in Iraq.
 
They were both working together in a field hospital, on the outskirts of Basra when a bomb exploded, and Paul was stunned and had injured his foot.
 
James dragged him to safety before going back to rescue the injured soldiers under his care.

Simon was called and he entered the consultant’s room.
 
Paul smiled and stood to shake Simon’s hand.
 
He pointed to a chair opposite to his own and began to take notes of Simon’s case, asking him the relevant questions and putting Simon at ease.

He asked how James was faring in
Nepal
, he said. ” I love that guy, do you know he saved my life?”

“Not at all, James hardly ever mentions his time as a soldier, and when he does it is only to say he was concerned about his patients who were battle scarred:
 
I had no idea he was a hero. He is very happy, working in the villages as a General Practitioner and helping at the hospital.
 
I could not have come away if James had not volunteered to take over my work at the hospital, whilst I am here.”
 
Simon replies with a smile, as he re-asses his knowledge of James.

“Lets start the procedure; you will know what hypnosis entails, being yourself a doctor.
 
Lie comfortably on the couch and I will begin.”
 
Paul told him.

Simon took off his shoes and lay down.
 
He was used to meditating so he was soon relaxed.

He sees a white landscape and feels the speed of his skis, the swish of the wind, as he flies through this white bleak place.
 
He feels his speed increase and increase as he screams and falls into a deep ravine.
 
He recovers to find Paul patting his shoulder and reassuring him that the nightmare is not real.
 
That his mind has returned to the place of his accident and head injury.

 
When the treatment was finished, Paul left Simon to come back to the present slowly. The receptionist brought them both a cup of tea when Simon was ready, and the two of them chatted about the experience Simon had gone through.

He remembered his childhood, but not before David was his father.
 
Confusing images were going through his mind, and he shook his head, hoping to get the pictures right.
 
Paul sat with him and they discussed the feelings Simon was having; his confusion, his helplessness, his inability to remember, and now this feeling that a breakthrough may be possible.
 
Paul decided to make Simon another appointment for the following day, with the hope that further progress could be made.

 
“Is it possible for you come to see me again tomorrow?” Paul asks. “It will have to be early in the morning or after six because my work schedule is full.”

Simon wanted to spend some time with his family and he thought that he would be better coming at six o’clock so that he wouldn’t feel confused, as he felt now, just after the hypnotism.

“I’ll be able to fit you in at six thirty tomorrow evening, it that alright?” Paul asked.

“Yes, that will be fine, I want to take Mula and Taj sightseeing and Taj will be ready for bed by that time, Thank you so much for seeing me at all, fitting me into your tight schedule,” Simon said, as he shakes Paul’s hand, and took his leave.

The following day was sensational, the whole party of them, Mark,

Sahida, Simon, Mula and little Taj went to see the sights of London.
 
They took a boat trip on the Thames. They went on the London Eye, a ride on the tube to Regent Park to the Zoo, where Taj fell asleep on Simon’s back.
 
Back to the hotel for Mula to attend to Taj’s needs, and for Simon to have a quick shower before he set off for his appointment with Paul.

Simon was reluctant to have his second hypnosis because of the fear he felt the first one had on him.
 
It had taken an hour for him to recover from the first one, but he felt steadier the following day.
 
Some of the fog had blown away from the inside of his head.
 
He was determined to carry on with the next treatment, but felt apprehensive when Paul began to talk him under.

He sees great icescapes and dangerous terrain.
 
His friend is very breathless and he is struggling to climb up a slippery path, when he falls, screaming, off the mountain, Simon can do nothing to stop him from falling.
 
His friend gives one last shout as an avalanche covers him.
 
He has gone out of sight.

When Simon comes round from his second nightmare, he knows that his friend is not dead.
 
He doesn’t know why he has this feeling of relief, but he is sure that the dream is not true.

Paul gives Simon a drink of water and together they try to interpret the vivid dream.

“Has something similar happened to you?” Paul asks

“A bit more fog is lifting from my mind; I know nothing bad happened to my friend.
 
I feel lighter, my mind feels clearer, there is something stirring in my head. Simon said.

Paul looks pleased and tells Simon to sleep it off.
 

When Simon awakes, the sky has darkened in to night.
 
He looks at his watch and finds he has slept three hours.
 
He jumps up as he thinks

Oh my God, Mula will be worrying, as I promised to be back at the hotel to see Taj before he goes to bed.
 
He finds his shoes as Paul enters the room to tell him that Mula rang and he explained that the treatment had taken longer than they had anticipated

After his treatment and his consultation, Simon felt less confused, Paul told him to relax and enjoy his holiday, and hopefully he would remember his life before his accident.
 
He set off to his hotel full of renewed hope and positive feelings.
 
Tomorrow they go up North.

Chapter 56

Sarah and David began to get ready for Charlie’s party.
 
Sarah has baked the cake and the two of them had been working endlessly, to make a great spread for Charlie’s family and friends.
 
Sarah has had the spare bedrooms cleared, bought new bed linen with curtains to match, for Simon Mula and little Taj, as well as Mark and Sahida, who she understood, now lived together.

Charlie had his spare rooms cleared for Anne and Daniel. Young Danny and Amy will use the twin beds in the other one of Charlie’s bedrooms.
 
Charlie wanted to have all his family around him, for longer than just the party day.
 

The day had come for the visitors to arrive and Mark, who knew the way, drove them from Manchester airport, in a hired people carrier.

Sarah, David and Charlie were all waiting outside, in front of the house, when Mark drove the car up the drive.
 
Taj jumped down and went straight to Charlie who hugged him with tears in his eyes as he said in a whisper, “you’re so like Simon when he was your age.”
 
Taj liked the old man with the crinkled smile, and understood that they were there for his birthday.
 
Simon brought Mula forward to meet his grandfather, as he experienced a faint recognition of the lovely old man, who opened his arms and hugged them both. When all the people were introduced, Charlie asked Simon to bring Taj to the bottom of the garden so that they could both show Taj the ducks and birds around the lake.
 
Simon’s heart almost stopped as he remembered Charlie, and the days they had around the lake, when he was about Taj’s age.

“Oh Charlie!
 
I remember! I remember! The day when I first came here with my mother and David and the things you taught me about the wildlife on the lake.
 
I had some hypnosis treatment in London, before we came up North, and I think it might have worked, along with the magic of the lake.” Simon told Charlie as he lifted Taj in the air and hugged them both.

Mula heard the sounds that came from the garden and she joined the three of them and asked, ”What is going on here, all this fun and laughter, what am I missing?”

Simon brought her to them and told her.
 
Her face broke into her beautiful smile as she moved closer to Charlie, held his face in her hands and kissed his cheeks, one and then the other.
 
“I used to do that to my grandfather, who I have just lost.
 
You shall be my grandfather, Charlie.”