Stumbling through the dark

Don't You Dare Ever Forget That

Niall pulled up in front of a modest home in the Dublin suburbs. He frowned and checked his GPS. This didn't look right but it was the correct address. He got out of his Range Rover, locking it and headed up the wide pathway to the door. His knock was answered by an attractive young woman, a toddler held on her hip. "You must be Mr Gallagher. Donal is expecting you. Come in". She stepped aside to allow Niall to enter into the bright hallways.

"Mmmh I'm not Mr Gallagher" he said shyly'

"I know dear, but you are when you are here. Come with me. Donal is down in his office . It's at the bottom of the garden. Mind the toys, they're a real trip hazard. I'm  Saoirse , by the way"  Niall followed her, totally bemused. This definitely was not turning out as he expected. The woman lead the way through French doors and down a path to a large and comfortable looking Summer House. She tapped briefly then went in, Niall following. "Donal, here's Mr Gallagher. I'll be down in a few minutes with tea. You do drink tea?" She looked questioningly at Niall who nodded mutely. She smiled and left as Niall turned his attention to the man sat in the wheelchair  before him.

"Hello Niall. You look confused. Take a seat. Forgive me for not standing up to greet you but as you can see, I can't. I'm Donal Hanson. Please call me by whatever name makes you more comfortable." He reached out his hand and Niall shook it briefly. " Make yourself at home". Niall found a comfortable looking chair facing Donal and crossed his legs, folding his arms across his chest. Donal smiled to himself on seeing the classic body language, the defensive posture. "Ah, here is Saoirse with the tea." His wife placed the tray on a table between the two men then vanished as silently as she had arrived. Donal immediately poured out two mugs of tea. "Have a cookie. Saoirse is a wonderful baker"

I thought that you might feel happier being here rather than at my office. It's away from prying eyes. You are also "Mr Gallagher", again  to help protect your anonymity. I know this isn't easy for you, Niall, so I thought we'd spend some time in just getting to know each other. As I said, I'm Donal and you and I already have somethings in common." Niall raised an eyebrow.'We both play guitar and we both have MS. How about you tell me something about yourself.?"

"I....look I don't mean to be rude but I really don't want to be here. I can't see the point of having some shrink rummage around inside my head". Niall said hotly, his posture not relaxing an inch." I don't want to waste your time so I'll just leave" Niall stood up.

"Niall, firstly, if you want to leave I won't stop you but before you go, perhaps you'll let me explain a few things? Come on, sit down and at least drink your tea and try a cookie. Saoirse will be offended if we don't demolish them.

"Let's take your concern about having a shrink rummaging in your head. I'm a Clinical Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist. And I'm not going to rummage in your head as you put it. I'm going to be a listening ear for you. I am not here to make judgements, tell you what you should or shouldn't do or think. I'm just an impartial friend, if you like. Often people sort themselves out just by talking to someone else. It's a way to clear the mind. I know from what Doctor O'Brian has told me, you've had a pretty tough time lately. And remember I also have MS. I remember my own struggles with the diagnosis, the difficultly in coming to terms with it. I confess I had quite a battle to accept it. In fact, despite being a Psychologist myself, I actually went to one as a patient. It helped me move on." Donal smiled across at Niall and was happy to notice a slight relaxation in Niall's tense facial expression. "The life of a pop star seems very glamorous but I'm sure that's a misconception"

"Yeah, it's not all beer and skittles. It's being constantly on the move, never being in one place long enough to see more than the stadium and your hotel room. It's grabbing meals when you can, smiling and signing autographs when you are sick and exhausted and doing stuff you don't want to do because Management say you have to do it. The plus side is you get to do all kinds of crazy stuff and we have wonderful fans. Best on the planet" Niall smiled, more to himself.