Page 101 of Help Me Remember
“Of course.”
Spencer places his hand on my back, and we walk out to the car. Before he makes any move to start the engine or pull out of the parking spot, he turns to me. “He’s right, you know.”
“Right about what?”
“I would lose everything for you.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
BRIELLE
“It’s nice to meet you,” Dr. Girardo says to Spencer. “Brielle has told me that you have been instrumental in helping her over the last few weeks.”
“Me?”
He smiles. “Yes, if you notice, most of her memories are recovered when you’re near her.”
Spencer looks to me, and I shrug. “He says it’s because I feel safe around you, which you already know.”
“Yeah, but . . .”
“It’s a good thing,” Dr. Girardo says as he walks us back to the room. “I wish more of my patients who experience a type of memory loss had something or someone that could trigger recall.”
I reach out and take Spencer’s hand. “It’s a good thing.”
“Well, if I can help, we all want the same thing for her.”
Dr. Girardo nods. “Yes, and today we’ll do things a little differently. I’d like to try a type of hypnosis with meditation. We’ll start with a deep meditation, to get you relaxed and focused. Then I’ll attempt to hypnotize you. Since the memory is so fresh, it may be a lot easier to resurface it. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee, but I’ve had some success in the past, and I think you’d be a good candidate.”
Spencer’s grip tightens around my hand. “You don’t have to.”
No, I don’t, but I am tired of this. I want to know who killed my brother. I want to be able to live my damn life. If I can remember this, maybe all the other things could finally be explained.
“I want to do this,” I tell him. I turn to Dr. Girardo. “I need answers, and I am tired of these small moments that I can’t control.”
“We may not be able to control this, Brie.”
“No, but it’s worth trying.”
Dr. Girardo motions me over to the couch. “Spencer, I’m going to ask you to wait over there. It’s important that you not speak unless I motion you over. I want to warn you both that this can go badly. You may panic, get a headache, or see a false memory that may feel very real. Dizziness and drowsiness are also possible. Are you sure you want to proceed?”
“What do you mean false memories?”
That’s what I really don’t want to have happen.
“It’s possible that your mind will meld memories and create false ones. So, anything you say under this may not be accurate. We are working to try to get your mind to work with you to lift that fog you describe, and sometimes things can get spliced together.”
I sigh. I don’t want fake memories. I want the ones that I had. I want the truth. “How will we know?”
His eyes are full of compassion. “We won’t until we have more of your memory recovered.”
Spencer stands, moving toward me. “And this isn’t going to affect what we’ve all been protecting her for?”
“You mean the case?” he asks.
“Yes.”
Dr. Girardo gives me a soft smile. “These are all coming from you. We aren’t going to guide you, so this is not going to hurt that. At least that’s what I would say if I were called to testify. What we’re doing is allowing the brain to move without fear.”
