Secrets Left Neglected

Chapter 45

Caoilainn

"I'm sorry to tell you this," the social worker says while holding my hands across the table. "but Tadhg is not the same person he was when you last saw him, Caoilainn."

He's barely finished his sentence before I'm shaking my head in denial at him.

"No," I whisper. "You're wrong. I know you are. He may be hurt but he's still mine, George."

George pats my hand and lifts the corner of his mouth into a half-smile. "You're right, of course, but," he pauses a moment as if to figure out how to put his next words together delicately. "He's also changed, Caoilainn. I have to prepare you for how he is now. Yes, Tadhg's still Tadhg, but he's also been changed."

I rip a tissue out of the box sitting nearby and dab my eyes, sniffing. I take a deep breath and force myself not to cry. When he can see I've pulled myself together George continues, sitting back in his seat.

"Tadhg's injury happened in his right hemisphere. This part of the brain controls many things; how we speak, our emotions, our memories, our inhibitions, our ability to recognize consciously what we see."

"Wait. His speech?" I ask surprised. "But I thought the left hemisphere controlled our ability to speak. My friend-"

"You're partly correct," he says, interrupting me. "You see, the right hemisphere contributes to speech in subtle ways. For example, it affects how we alter our voice; it's pitch, tone, etc. When the right side of the brain is injured people usually keep the ability to speak but you might notice that their voice sounds flat or monotone."

I nod my head while trying to take in what he's explaining. Then I look at George to ask about something else he had mentioned just now.

"His doctor told to me about the neglect. But what do you mean, Tadhg's inhibitions could be affected?"

"Usually, and especially adults," he begins. "we have control of how we respond to things around us. We can maintain a sense of when it's ok to say something or do something and when it is not. We can plan ahead and realize when it's appropriate to behave a certain way."

I sniff and wipe my nose some more. "Ok. I get that."

George reaches out and touches the back of my hand again while leaning forward. "Tadhg's brain has taken a pretty bad hit. He's having a lot of trouble controlling his impulses."

"Do you mean he's acting like a child now?"

George sits back in his chair again and folds his hands in front of him on the tabletop. "Sort of, but not exactly." He frowns and then continues.

"Let me give you some examples of what you can expect. Let's say you're out at a restaurant. You and Tadhg walk by a couple of tables where patrons are already seated and eating their meal.

Now, normally, you and I know that if we see something we like on someone else's plate that it's not ok to reach over and start to eat their food.

Tadhg may not always think ahead in these situations.

He may walk up to the seated people and tell them he'd like to try what they're eating or he may just sit himself down and grab something off their plate without saying anything to them at all."

I look at George with wide-eyes, shaking my head slightly at his words.

"That's an extreme example, Caoilainn. I don't know if Tadhg will be that forward but you may notice him grabbing for things without thinking about the consequences of doing so; like grabbing a hot pan from the stove without wearing oven mittens, or deciding to pick up an object someone else is already using.