Chapter 43: Plans

Monday, I asked Jeevan and Meena to come for dinner before he and I went out healing. I wanted him to meet Jules’ parents, but I also wanted Gracie to meet the man who had actually saved her life. I was just the man that seemed to be getting all the credit; without Jeevan, Gracie wouldn’t be here.

They arrived just after six.

I answered the door and immediately got a hug from Meena. “Caleb,” she said. “It is so good to see you.”

“You are coming to my party Saturday?” I asked as I led them inside. They both nodded.

We walked into the living room and Gracie stood, walked over to Jeevan, and held her hand out.

“Caleb tells me,” she said, “that I have you to thank for saving my life.”

Jeevan took her hand. “Caleb did most of the work,” he replied. “I just guided him from time to time.” He was being his usual modest self.

“Nevertheless,” she said, “I owe you, the pair of you, my life. I will never forget it.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. “I know you probably have a million people who are indebted to you, and probably many with a lot more power and influence than I do. But please, if there is anything I can ever do for you or your family, call me.”

Jeevan accepted the card with grace. He had obviously been in this situation many times before and knew exactly how to handle it. “Thank you,” he said. “I will.”

After Gracie, I introduced Ness, and her parents, to Jeevan and Meena.

Ness and I went into the kitchen and began to cook. As expected, Meena soon followed us in and watched for a while.

“Two such talented cooks,” she said. “You work well together.”

“Ness is going to college in the fall,” I said. “She wants to be a chef.”

“She already is,” said Meena. “She just needs the paperwork.”

Ness blushed and smiled at Meena shyly.

“If you would like,” said Meena, “I would love to teach you some of my country’s cuisine.”

Ness beamed. “I would love that,” she said. “I haven’t had much experience with exotic spices. My family is still a little meat-and-potatoes biased. The moussaka that Caleb makes is probably the most exotic they get.”

“Moussaka?” asked Meena. “Why have you never made that for us?” she asked me.

“I was saving it for a special occasion,” I said.

We enjoyed dinner, and then Jeevan said that we should be going. We would drop Meena back at his house on the way, and we would be going to the hospital after. When we arrived at the hospital Jeevan took me inside and into a small room.

“Now Bhaiya,” he said. “Tonight’s case is a little bit different. It is a difficult case, and an ethical dilemma. It is something I struggled with for a long, long time. I wanted to show it to you, and to show you another side of what Healing can be about.”

We walked down a corridor. It seemed to be the staff corridor for the ICU. There were bags of trash, carts, and machines pushed out of the way. It was the side of the hospital that patients and visitors would never get to see.

“Just on the other side of this wall,” he began, “is the ICU. There is a patient in the bed there. I want you to find her mind and see what you think.”

I stood against the wall and reached out. Just beyond the wall there were several minds. There was a nurse, and what appeared to be several relatives. Then I found the patient.

She was old, probably in her eighties. It appeared that she had suffered a massive stroke. The damage to her brain was catastrophic. I couldn’t see any way that even we could do anything for her. However, I did find ‘her.’ Her consciousness was trapped inside. She was crying.

“Please,” I heard, “please let me die. It hurts so much. Please let me die.”

I snatched my mind back and looked at Jeevan.

“Yes,” he said. “They have been arguing for a day and a night. The Doctors wish to turn off the life support machines. They say that the damage to her brain is so bad that she will never be able to survive without them. The family will not allow it. They are desperately holding on to hope that she will recover.

“Sadly, the only person not able to contribute to the argument is the lady herself. I believe you heard what she wanted.”

“You can’t mean...” I began.

“Yes,” he said. “She will survive for weeks, even months in this state. Unless she gets an infection or there is some kind of incident, she will exist. She won’t live, she will simply exist. They don’t see her pain, so they are not treating it. We could block it, but would you leave her trapped in that body, until it eventually fails, as it must.

“Even with your power, there is nothing we could do for her. The damage is too severe. All we can do is to give her the peaceful, dignified end that she is so desperate for.”

“You mean kill her?” I asked.

“I mean release her from her suffering,” he said. “If this were a pet dog, that was suffering this way, you would have no qualms. You would do what was right. But because this is a person, you suddenly have issues. I don’t blame you. We are taught that life is precious. But what is her life now? Even if we can, and do, block her pain, we are going to leave her trapped in the darkness; unable to hear or see out, alone, until her body finally fails. She will be locked away in her tormented mind for days, weeks, maybe even months before she finally gets the release that she is so desperate for.

“And what of her family? Sitting around her bed, hopelessly hoping for a miracle which will never happen. Working themselves into bankruptcy to pay for care that is going to make no difference to the outcome in the end.

“I ask you. Who are we serving by allowing her, this, to continue?”

“I see the logic,” I said. “But there’s a difference between stopping care, and actively committing murder.”

“It is not murder,” he said. “Legally, the worst it would be; would be assisted suicide, since that is what the patient wants for herself.”

“Where would be your proof in defence?” I asked. “How could you prove that she wants it?”

“We will never have to,” he said. “Nobody will know of our actions, ever.””We will
,” I rebutted.

“Then the only person you would have to prove it to,” he replied, “is you. You have seen inside her mind. Tell me, isn’t this what she wants?”

“But...” I began.

“If you can see a pathway to Healing her,” he said. “Then I am open to it.”

I looked again at her mind, her brain. It was mush, an absolute mess. There was so much damage that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Jeevan was right, there was no healing for this woman. Instinctively, while I was in there, I blocked all her pain. I could do that much at least. I heard her voice crying in relief. The sound was eerie. I remembered seeing a movie once where there was a baby crying in an abandoned hospital ward. The sound reminded me of that. Pitiful, scared, alone.

I wanted to reach out to her, to tell her I was there, that she wasn’t alone, but I was terrified to make contact. How could I give her hope when I knew that there was none to be had? I felt hopeless, helpless, and completely useless.

I seemed to spend an awful lot of time with Jeevan, crying. It was happening again.

“I’m sorry, Bhaiya,” he said. “Euthanasia is a difficult topic to get to grips with. Even if you don’t have any belief in a god or an afterlife. All we can ask of ourselves is to do what is best for our patients. If you cannot bring yourself to do that, then I will understand. But it is something that you will see again, probably more than once in your career as a Healer.

“A life should never be ended without a great deal of thought and consideration. It is good that you are so tormented at the prospect. But I ask you to look inside, both yourself, and that poor lady, and ask yourself: what is best for your patient? As yourself what you would want if you were in her situation?”

“But she is not me!” I argued. “Just because I would want to die in this situation, do I have the right to impose that on her?”

“You could always ask her,” he said. “Explain her situation and ask what she wants you to do.”

“You’re serious,” I said. He nodded.

“She still has a consciousness, even if it is trapped in a dying body, it is still there. Talk to her. Ask her what she wants.”

“I’m not sure that I can,” I said. “I...”

He put his hand on my shoulder.

“Then observe,” he said.

“Hello,” I heard his voice echoing in her mind. She heard it to.

“Hello?” she said. “Who’s there?”

“My name is Jeevan,” he replied. “What’s yours?” He, of course, knew her name.

“Sadly not,” said Jeevan.

“So, If I’m dying,” she asked, “how long do I have?”

“That depends on you,” said Jeevan. “You see, your body is currently being kept alive by a machine. The doctors have asked to switch it off, but your family are saying no. They are desperately clinging to hope that you will recover.”

“Is there any hope?” asked Maud.

“Sadly not,” said Jeevan. “Your brain is too badly damaged to recover. You will die. It may take a few weeks, even months, but the result will be the same.”

“I am trapped here, aren’t I?” she asked.

Jeevan stole the last few moments memories from the nurse, looking at the relatives grouped around the patient’s bed. He gave those memories to Maud.

“Oh dear,” she said. “I look a sight.”

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Can you get them to turn off the machine?” she asked.

“Is that what you want?” asked Jeevan.

“I think so,” she said. “If you are sure there is no hope, and for some reason, I believe you know. Then all they are achieving is prolonging their hurt. Not to mention wasting their money. I can’t be trapped in here for weeks. I’m guessing that you won’t be sticking around for that long, so I’ll be alone.”

“You’re not alone,” I blurted.

“Oh, hi,” she said. “Who are you?”

“This is Caleb,” said Jeevan. “The colleague I was telling you about.”

“The one who stopped my pain?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Thank you,” she said. “That was such a relief. Jeevan tells me that there is no hope for me. What do you think?”

“I’m sorry, Maud,” I said.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “You didn’t do this. It’s God’s way of telling me to slow down.” She cackled to herself at her joke.

“We can’t switch off the machine,” said Jeevan. “But we can do something that will end your suffering. If you want us to.”

“Euthanasia,” she mused. “Strange. Until about thirty seconds ago, I was dead against it. Pardon the pun. Every time there was some question about it, I always said that it was against God and nature to end someone’s life. That decision should be left to God.

“Who knew that I would be making that decision for myself. What’s more, I think I have changed my mind. Please, I know I’m asking a lot but please, can you let me go?”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I asked.

“Will you stay?” she asked. “Until I’m gone?”

“I’ll stay with you,” I said.

“Thank you,” she said. “Caleb, was it?”

“Yes.” I replied.

“You know what that means?” she asked.

I shook my head, but then realized that she couldn’t see. “No,” I said, “it was always just my name.”

“It’s a Hebrew name,” she said. “It means faithful, wholehearted, loyal. Are you married Caleb?” she asked. I could feel Jeevan reaching into her body, into her chest.

“Not yet,” I said. “Engaged.”

“Then she is a lucky woman,” she responded. “Look after her.”

“I will,” I said.

“I’m ready now,” she said after a moment. “Goodbye Caleb, Jeevan, and thank you.”

I felt Jeevan exert his will gently, and the old ladies heart stopped.

“Goodbye, Maud,” I said to her, knowing that she would be able to hear me for a few moments more. “Rest well.”

Suddenly I found my consciousness was no longer connected to hers. She was gone.

Through the wall I could hear the monitor alarm announcing her death. They didn’t try to revive her. The nurse simply turned off the breathing machine and the monitor. The only sound from the room was the sobbing of the relatives.

Jeevan took my arm and guided me back along the corridor and down some stairs. Before long we were back in the hospital cafeteria.

We didn’t need to eat, we had used a negligible amount of power. Jeevan bought me a coffee and we sat at our now usual table, while I tried to pull myself together.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“How do you do this?” I asked. “All the time. It is so emotionally draining. Even though I didn’t use any power, I just feel empty ... wrung out.”

“Each healing has its own reward,” he said, “even this one. Think of the suffering that lady would have had to go through if it weren’t for us. Think of how much pain she was in before you blocked it. She would have been stuck with that until her body finally gave out. We saved her from that. Not only that, but she didn’t die alone. There is no greater crime, especially in this day and age, than someone having to die alone.

“She had her family around her, but she couldn’t feel them. Having you talking to her, as she went, gave her great comfort. No matter what you believe happens next, the last few moments of this existence, for her, were as good as we could make them. Remember that and hold on to it.”

“I think I have taught you all I can,” he said. “You can do anything I can do now, and more besides. I would love to be able to call on you for help sometimes, and obviously I am only a call away should you need me.”

“Seriously?” I said. “I have so much left to learn.”

He shook his head. “Healing is an art more than a science. As a dreamer you can heal a great deal. There are still going to be some things you cannot heal, either because you don’t have enough power, or because the damage is too severe.

“Remember your limits, and remember that the Healing is never about you, it is about your patient. If you find something that you are unsure of – I am a phone call away.”

He stood up. We walked together back to the parking lot.

“Don’t think that because I am not teaching you that we will not see each other. I am expecting to eat together often. Meena has promised Ness to teach her, and you, our cooking. And I believe she wants to taste your Moussaka.

“I think Ness kind of promised I’d make it for you.”

“Good,” he said. “Meena has become very fond of you Bhaiya. She would be sad not to see you often.”

“We’ll probably be going to Jules’ parents during the school break,” I said. “But we’ll be back for the new semester. You’re coming Saturday, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Yasmine and Callum too, if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” I said. “The more the merrier.”

Jeevan drove me home and I arrived just after nine. Everyone was in the living room chatting and sort of watching the television. I went into the fridge, and pulled out a couple of beers. I glanced across at Dean as I went out onto the deck. A few minutes later he came out.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I think so,” I said. “It was a bit of an emotional evening.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asked. I shook my head.

“I want to talk about something else,” I said. He nodded.

I told him all about the council and explained everything.

He grimaced. “So,” he said, “we’re in the middle of a revolution?”

“Kind of,” I said. “If you would rather not get involved I...”

“I told you,” he said, “I had your six. I meant it. Besides I agree with you. What they have been doing is wrong. I can see how it got started and appreciate that they were protecting us norms from you big bad Stotts, but times have changed. It’s time the shackles came off. Us norms have got other protectors, namely you.

“I spoke to Gerry, we have a slot for just after eight in the morning. Are you going to pick up Dana?”

“I’ll send her a text now. I’ll pick her up at seven and meet you at the airport. We’re going to have to take three cars in any case. Josh and Louise can take two. Amanda and Mary can take two and I’ll get Dana.”

He nodded. “We’ll figure it out,” he said. “I’ve rented the hangar for a while, so you can park the cars in there while we’re in New York.”

I sent the text to Dana while I remembered. She promised to be ready at seven.

We finished our beer and went inside. I almost immediately went to bed. Amanda came to keep me company and eased me into sleep.

Morning came quickly. While I had already told Kevin that I would be away for a few days, that didn’t get me out of my morning workout. He had arranged for Carys to take my class that night, however.

“I think she enjoys it,” he said. “Her and that boy are getting close.”

I smiled. “Good,” I said. “It’s good that she has found someone.”

“I thought that she was going to spend her time pining after you,” he said. “Especially after you...”

“You knew about that?” I asked surprised.

“We talk,” he said. “Since her mother left, we talk about pretty much everything. I know it sounds strange, but it was her time with you that gave her the courage to actually start looking again. She was shutting herself away before.”

I laughed. “Was I that bad?”

“Stop fishing for compliments,” he grumbled. “She didn’t score your performance. What she did say was that you made her realize that she deserved to be happy. You made her feel like she could be loved. Even though she knew that it wouldn’t be you, you gave that to her. I think her last boyfriend really killed her confidence. You gave her it back, or some of it at least.”

“I’m glad,” I said. “She is a lovely girl.”

“So,” he said, “when will you be back.”

“Thursday morning,” I said. “You’re coming to my party, right?”

“Saturday night?” he asked. “Sure. Would you mind if Carys brings her new boyfriend?”

“Not at all,” I said. “The more the merrier.”

I was back at the house and eating the breakfast that Ness had cooked by six thirty. I’d showered and gotten all my stuff together to go to New York. Mary was busily going through my bag and ‘fixing’ things. I let her have fun with it. She was far better at that stuff than I was.

Just before a quarter of seven, I got up, threw my bag in my truck, along win luggage for some other people, and went to pick up Dana.

Surprisingly Dana was standing outside the dorm, bag in hand, when I arrived.

I had the errant thought that if she wanted to be truly convincing as a female, she needed to learn to be late all the time.

We loaded her bag into the truck and set off for the airport.

The others were already there when we arrived. Gerry helped me unload the bags from the truck and loaded them into the jet. I parked the truck in the hangar and then climbed the stairs into made my way onboard.

We got settled and within a few minutes were in the air. Amanda, who was not particularly fond of flying, was gripping my hand fiercely, but her grip eased off once we levelled out.

Ness and I played air stewards, serving coffee and soft drinks during the flight.

I stuck my head into the cockpit to ask if Gerry would like a drink. He looked surprised but accepted a coffee. Dean spoke. “Don’t spoil the hired help,” he said. “They’ll start to expect it all the time.”

I was surprised, I didn’t know that Dean had that kind of attitude toward his staff, until I glanced around at Gerry and noticed him holding up his middle finger toward Dean. The penny dropped. I grinned.

“Gerry and Daddy served together,” Jules told me. “They are always sniping at each other.”

Since I’d never flown with Dean before, I hadn’t noticed the interaction between the two.

I settled down to enjoy the rest of the flight.

We landed at Teterboro airport just after one in the afternoon Oregon time, or just after four local. Transport was waiting for us, and took us to our hotel, where we would be staying overnight. I have to admit, if you’re going to stay in New York, the Waldorf Astoria is the place to do it.

“Fuck,” said Amanda quietly. “This is just like Pretty woman,” she said as the concierge fussed around us like a mother hen.

We were soon installed in our rooms. Dean had booked us a suite. It had four bedrooms. The master had a bed that was actually bigger than our bed at home. Then there were three other good sized rooms.

“You guys are in the orgy room” said Dean to the girls and I. “Cheryl and I will take this one, Josh and Louise and Dana, can fight over those two.”

Dana just stood there, her mouth open, at what he had said. Cheryl walked past her and gently closed it with a fingertip.

“I can’t believe that you guys are so okay with their arrangement,” she said to Cheryl.

“You know,” said Cheryl, “sometimes neither can I. But then I look at them and see the love between them all and then I can’t imagine how it could ever be anything else. I know they love each other and that both my girls will be loved and cared for. As a parent, I cannot ask for more than that.”

Dana shook her head and walked across to take the last of the rooms. Josh and Louise had selected theirs, simply choosing the first door. It turned out that Dana’s room had a better view, but it was only for one night in any case.

I had contacted my aunt. Her name was Janine Taylor, and she lived in about 50 blocks north of the hotel on the Upper East Side. She had invited me to go see her in the morning. I quietly relayed the information to Dean, and he nodded.

We spent the afternoon and evening sightseeing, ending up having dinner, in the Arby’s on 8^th Ave. of all places. I reflected, somewhat ironically, on how nice it must be to be so rich!

We arrived back at the hotel after eleven, and went straight to bed. It would have been nice to partake in the orgy for which the room was seemingly named, but sadly all the girls were tired, as was I. A group hug was all I got, and surprisingly all I really wanted.

I wasn’t quite sure just how it managed time zones, but my bladder clock was up to the task, because it had me up at exactly four am local time. I went into the main room and trained. I was just wearing a pair of shorts since the room was so warm.

I glimpsed movement out of the corner of my eye, and glanced in the reflection of one of the windows. Dana, had come to the door of her room, and was standing watching me. She was dressed in just a long T-shirt, which was obviously what she had been sleeping in. She stood as if entranced, the front of her T-shirt tenting over her obvious arousal, while I practiced my katas. When I finished, I looked across to where she had been standing. She was gone, her door closed.

We ordered a room service breakfast just after eight. Dana was up early for a change. She normally didn’t surface, when she stayed over, until later. All of the noise must have disturbed her. Breakfast was not particularly inspiring, but it was food, and we were all hungry. I guess that just because the hotel is five-star doesn’t mean the kitchen is.

“My meeting is at eleven,” said Dean, “near Central Park East. Caleb and I will go there, then meet up with you guys. I take it you are going shopping?”

“Of course,” said Cheryl. “Why else come to New York?”

“Remember we only brought the one jet,” he said. “There’s only so much it can carry.”

“Don’t be snippy,” said Cheryl. “Besides – they can deliver.” Dean shook his head.

We checked out of the hotel at ten am and Gerry met us with a limo. He collected all our belongings and would take them to the jet, so we didn’t have to carry them around all day. Our take-off slot for the return flight was four pm local, although if we needed to stay later, we could. Gerry would just have to re-file a flight plan.

Dean and I rode in the limo and arrived at my aunt’s just after ten thirty. The limo driver found the address no trouble and we pulled up outside. Dean joined me on the sidewalk.

“You want me to wait out here?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

I walked up to the door and rang the bell.

A woman, who looked to be in her mid-thirties opened the door. She stood about five eight and was what can only be described as ‘well built.’ Another term might be Rubenesque.

“You must be Caleb,” she said. She didn’t look at all pleased to see me. “Come in.”

“This is my future father-in-law, Dean,” I introduced him. He smiled at her. She merely nodded. “Janine,” she said. She walked away from us and through a door. I assumed we were to follow and so we did, ending up in a kitchen. There was an older looking man seated at the kitchen island. He didn’t look well. In fact, he looked like he might throw up at any time.

“This is my husband, Robin,” she said indicating the man. He didn’t get up.

“Caleb and Dean,” said Janine to Robin.

“So,” she said sitting down at the counter and indicating seats on the other side. “Maggie said you wanted to talk.”

I was surprised at her attitude. From my father’s description I had expected a warmer welcome.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Have I done something wrong?”

“Wrong?” she asked. “Not that I am aware of, why?”

“I just wondered,” I said. “I had hoped that meeting my aunt, whom I didn’t know existed until recently, would be a more pleasant experience. Not that I was expecting a red carpet or anything, but I was kind of expecting civility at the very least.”

“Were you now?” she asked, a sneer on her face. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “I thought that perhaps with us being family, that maybe that might count for something. Or, if not, perhaps the fact that we are actually people and deserve at least a minimum level of courtesy.”

“Look,” she said. “I didn’t invite you here. You asked to come. So, say what you have to say then toddle off back to Maggie like the good little puppet you are.”

That was when I struck.

I had been investigating her shields all along. They were good. Very good in fact. It looked like she had been very careful in creating them. They weren’t, however, quite good enough.

I had already looked at her husband. He was a Norm, but I found that I couldn’t connect to him, at least not to his mind. I also felt some nausea from him. I realized that he had been dosed or had dosed himself on anti-psych drugs. No wonder he looked so sick.

If they were hoping that his dosing with anti-psych drugs was going to protect him from me, then they were in for a surprise. They only stopped connections. My TK would work fine on him. I suspected he was armed, so I simply, and gently restrained him in exactly the position he was in. He wouldn’t feel it unless he tried to move.

Suddenly Janine felt my presence beyond her shields.

“ROBIN” she yelped, and he tried to move, but found he was unable to.

I lowered her shields and hunted around for her oath. Once again it didn’t take me long to find it. It was particularly strong. She was probably the strongest power user I had come across so far. I was still exponentially more powerful. I unpicked the compulsion and removed the binding. Once I was certain it was all clear, as I had done with her brother, I backed out of her mind and released her.

She sat staring at me for a moment. Her shields had sprung back up immediately I had released her. I could see her internalizing trying to see what I had been up to in her mind.

“What did you do?” she asked.

“I freed you from your oath to the council,” I said. “I removed the binding. That is all.”