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The Maze - Eighteen The Maze - Eighteen choice but to tell her what he had seen in the vision. He had had to make delicate decisions before about what to reveal and what to withhold in psychic readings, and in this case he felt certain that the woman would benefit. Until she faced the situation, she could never get past it. “T think,” he said, “that you’re a victim of rape. And I think you feel so ashamed of it, so horrible about it, that that’s what is wrong with you. You just won’t talk about it and get all these feelings out.” The woman lost control, denying everything and cursing him for interfering. She became so hysterical that she had to be sedated and put to bed. Ted naturally felt responsible, for these weren’t the results he had hoped for, and regretted hav- ing spoken. It seemed ironic that his psychic gifts allowed him to discern the problems of others but would not give him a clue about his own, he thought sadly. The next day, however, the woman thanked him for forc- ing her to face the problem. “T would never have been able to do it by myself,” she said gratefully, and Ted watched with great relief as her recovery proceeded rapidly. The hospital staffers who had witnessed the whole event were fascinated and talked about it with Ted. He admitted confidentially that he had psychic abilities and was surprised by their serious interest. Although the staffers never asked him for specific help after that, they deliberately steered a few difficult cases in his direction. And every time the same thing happened. Ted got a read- ing on the person’s situation and would relate it. The patient would angrily deny the information and go through great upheaval, telling him to mind his own business, but then the healing process would begin. His accuracy mystified the medical staff. And nobody asked Ted to check himself out of the hospital until he felt ready. He ended up staying for three months, not only because he was benefiting personally from the therapy, sleeping well at night and healing both mind and body. He also stayed because he had made good friends there and was serving a positive function within the group. He saw some of the Masquerade of Angels 176 patients recover quickly, thanks to the psychic information he was able to share with them, and that was gratifying. But there was no one to perform the same function for him. When he decided he was ready to be on his own again, the doctor recommended that Ted take a leave of absence from his job, go home to his parents, and let his strength fully return. Ted readily agreed and closed up his apartment before his parents came to get him. For the next three months he spent time visiting with old friends and relatives, feeling stronger every day. Those ties brought him back to a sense of normalcy and control. And with a new perspective, Ted realized that he no longer wanted to continue at the bank and fall back into the stressful situations that apparently had led to his collapse. So when he returned to Atlanta, his plan was to give notice and train someone to take his place. The bank officials, however, immediately made it clear that he really was not welcome back at all, not after his stint in the psych unit. It didn’t matter that Ted’s commitment had been voluntary, nor that his problems stemmed from stress rather than from a mental disorder. Like so many uninformed people, the officials in charge of personnel suffered from stereotypical fears about “crazy people.” So before Ted could even tender his resignation, he was advised that the company considered him unfit for work. Instead of taking him back, they offered to put him on their insurance disability program and recommended he receive a paycheck for the next three years. Ted, of course, couldn’t have been happier. With this financial security, he was free to return to Alabama, build up his strength, and spend some time with his aging parents. For the first year, Ted enjoyed his renewed relationships with his family and resumed old friendships in Tuscaloosa. But eventually he became restless and wanted more from his life. Since his income was steady, even without working, he decided to do some recreational, therapeutic, travel and exploration. In a very short time, Ted visited many places, such as California, New York, Florida, the Caribbean islands, and Guatemala. His treks gave him plenty of adventure, but Masquerade of Angels 177