CHAPTER 13
TWO CRITICAL MINUTES
Steven was reluctant to go under hypnosis. He had read stories about how some unethical doctors had taken advantage of their patients by putting them under hypnosis and then instructing them to do something embarrassing or illegal. I told him that couldn't happen because a therapist could not make a person do something against their will. Then I assured him that Dr. Gerhardt was a renowned professional and would not do anything to hurt him in any way.
During the twenty-minute drive to Dr. Gerhardt's clinic in Plano, I told Steven how the trial would proceed. "First we'll have to pick a jury, which will be very difficult due to the press coverage associated with your case. It's important that each juror be fair and impartial, but that might be difficult if they've been reading or hearing a lot about your case in the media or discussing it with family and friends. Most people quickly form opinions and beliefs that could impact their jury service, so the attorneys are allowed to question them about their backgrounds, employment, and beliefs or any other issue that might influence their service on the jury. Then if it turns out they can't be fair and impartial, we'll ask the judge to strike them."
Steven nodded. "How long do you think it will take to pick a jury?"
"I don't know. Usually it takes a day or two, but in a case like this it might be a week or better."
There was just one patient in Dr. Gerhardt's office when we arrived and he was leaving. The receptionist gave Steven a patient information sheet to fill out. Before he had it completed, Dr. Gerhardt came out to greet us.
"So, this is Steven, the young man I've been reading about in the newspaper," he said.
"Yes, this is Steven Caldwell."
They shook hands and Dr. Gerhardt said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Steven."
"Steven's had a difficult couple of weeks so he's a little nervous."
"Ah! Don't be nervous. I won't bite you, I promise." He motioned toward the door, "Let's go back to the treatment room."
Dr. Gerhardt led us through the door and down a hall to a room that looked more like a study than a doctor's office. There was a desk, two side chairs, a sofa, an easy chair, a lamp, and a coffee table. Beautiful paintings adorned the walls and a bookcase held dozens of volumes of medical books and periodicals. He sat in one of the easy chairs and told Steven to sit on the sofa.
"Now, Steven, Mr. Turner tells me you can't remember what happened the night of the accident."
Steven nodded. "Well, I can remember some of it but not all."
"Tell me what you remember."
"Okay, well . . . ah, Jimmy and I were driving back to camp. I was driving a little too fast and as we were making the last turn before the camp entrance I heard a low-pitched hissing sound from above. I looked up and saw a gigantic object right above me moving slowly toward the lake. When I looked back at the road we were so close to the edge there was nothing I could do. The next thing I remember is waking up on the side of the road."
"How did you feel when you woke up?"
"Dizzy. Exhausted. Wondering what had happened. I remember looking around for the Jeep and smelling smoke. I struggled to my feet and edged toward the side of the mountain. The Jeep was sticking out of the water with its tail on fire. Then I heard a car approaching from behind me. It was a lady. She made me get in the backseat of her car and then we went for help."
"So, you're missing a couple of minutes, it sounds like."
"Yes, a very critical couple of minutes," I said.
Dr. Gerhardt got up and pulled a side chair next to where Steven was sitting. "Well, let's see if we can fill in the gap."
Dr. Gerhardt explained how hypnosis worked and told Steven to lie back on the sofa and relax. He asked me to dim the lights and then he removed a small pen light from his shirt pocket and told Steven to focus on it. He manipulated the light around Steven's eyes. "Now your eyes are getting heavy. They feel so, so heavy. You can barely keep them open. Now I'm going to count to ten and you're going to be back at Possum Kingdom Lake. It will be Monday the 10th of September 1990. You remember that date, don't you? It was the day of the tragic accident when Jimmy was killed. Now when we're finished reliving what happened that day, I'll count to three and tell you to wake up. When you wake up you will remember everything you just recalled. Okay?"
Steven took a deep breath barely able to keep his eyes opened. "Yes," he replied softly.
Dr. Gerhardt counted to ten slowly while he continued to manipulate the light around Steven's eyes. When he finished counting, Steven's eyes closed. "Are you there? Tell me what you see, Steven."
"Yes, I see it. It's dark and stormy. The road is very slick. I'm driving fast trying to impress Jimmy. He looks scared but forces a smile. I've driven this road a hundred times and this Jeep handles like a dream."
"Good. Very good," Dr. Gerhardt said. "Now, look around you. Tell me everything you see."
"It's daytime but it's dark from the thick clouds. It's hard to see much of anything but every few seconds a bolt of lightning lights up the sky just long enough to get a glimpse of what's around us. I'm making the turn now . . . Oh! What's that noise? . . . It's a loud, rattling, metallic sound from above me. I'm looking up and there's a— . . . What the hell? It looks almost like a spaceship. . . . Look at that, Jimmy. What is that?. . . Ah, shit! A blue light just exploded in my face. . . . I'm blinded! . . . I can't see a damn thing. The noise is like fifty pieces of chalk being scraped across a blackboard at the same time. 'What the hell is that noise, Jimmy? Oh, God! It's killing my ears. I can't stand it! Ahhhh!"
Steven held his hands over his ears and then began to toss and turn as if his eardrums were about to break. Dr. Gerhardt grabbed his hands and said, "All right, Steven. That's enough for now. On the count of three I'm going to snap my fingers and you're going to wake up. One. . . . Two . . . Three. Snap!"
Steven's body suddenly went limp. Dr. Gerhardt took his pulse and felt his forehead. Suddenly, Steven jerked, his eyes opened, and he looked around, seemingly disoriented. After a couple seconds he asked, "What happened?"
Dr. Gerhardt stood up and walked back to the easy chair. He asked, "Think back. Don't you remember what happened after you saw the object in the sky?"
Steven hesitated, still appearing groggy. "Yes, I remember the flash of blue light and that horrible piercing sound. I thought my eardrums were going to break."
"What happened after you heard the noise?" Dr. Gerhardt asked.
"That's all I remember. The blue lights and holding my ears trying to endure the pain. I must have passed out then, because I don't remember holding the wheel of the Jeep after that moment. Then I woke up on the side of the road."
"Well, you did very well, Steven. These things take time. If you come back next week, maybe we can recover another minute of your life—an interesting minute, no doubt."
"Yes, that would be cool. Thank you, Doctor."
"My pleasure. Stan, your boy did very well."
I said, "Definitely. Thanks a lot, Doctor. I really appreciate your help."
On the ride back we talked about the blue light and the intense, debilitating sound. We agreed that the flash of light and the horrible noise probably caused Steven to lose control of the Jeep, but we still had no explanation of how he ended up on the side of the road. I couldn't wait for our next session. An interesting minute, indeed—probably the most important minute of Steven Caldwell's young life.