Beau and the doctor looked toward the door that led into the station's office. Someone yelled and ranted.

They heard Ben Stone's calm voice, "Findlay it's the best we can do. Take it or leave it."

"I don't want him near her!"

"That's up to Fin. The best we can do is prevent him from entering your property."

"Fuck this is typical. The bad bastards always win! Why do you think men take things into their own hands? How can a person protect their family if the law gives in to the offenders?"

"This isn't about Fin. It's about you trying to make it up to her. Protect her. We get that, Findlay, but you need to find another way. Fin hasn't said anything about a restraining order so like I said the best we can do is an order to stop him from coming onto your property."

"Fuck this!"

"You want it or not?" Ben said in an exasperated voice.

"I don't have a choice, do I? But I'll tell you now, Fin will never step foot from that house until he's been run out of town!"

"Findlay. Take a seat and calm yourself down while I do the paperwork."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" A loud bang reverberated through the police station as if Findlay had banged his fist on the bench. "A man has rights!"

Another thump on the counter was heard as Ben yelled, "Yeah, a man has fucking rights and so does your daughter! She has a right to do what she's doing. She's not a child. If you don't watch it, Findlay, you could find yourself on an assault charge if Beau Hawkins decides to put his rights into action! So! Shut! The! Fuck! Up! And! Take! A! Seat!"

Doctor Green chuckled and shook his head. "Don't hear Ben go off like that too often. Findlay better watch himself." He dabbed Beau's split lip with some disinfectant.

Beau jerked his head back. Green laughed again. "Hurts like a bitch, hey? Why'd you let him do this? A man your size could have defended yourself against the likes of Findlay."

"I deserved it."

"Yes. If what you say is true, you did deserve it." The doctor paused and stared at Beau. "I'd like to hear what you did because I don't think someone as brutal as a rapist would let a person beat the shit out of them."

"You haven't read my medical records," Beau scowled. "How'd they put it? Self-harming issues. Mentally unstable. A danger to himself. Etcetera. Etcetera."

"Could you have blacked out, Beau?" Peter Green, sat with his hands on his knees and focused on Beau. "Roy says Fin swears you didn't rape her. She says you were angry, that you woke her holding onto her ankles and you dragged her out to the car. It frightened her because she'd never seen you like that before. She said it was like you were someone else."

"No. I raped her," Beau said with conviction. "I'm sure I did."

"Tell me what you remember," Doctor Green insisted.

"I was sleeping in the shed." Beau creased his face in thought. "I was angry because she'd opened a box of private stuff." He frowned, stared at the floor and looked back at the doctor. "It was sun up and I went inside. Fin was asleep and... and... she... she... was in the corner. Crying. I was naked. I... I remember being angry. Yelling." Beau shook his head in confusion. "I raped her. I'm sure I did."

"Do you remember ejaculating?"

"No..." Beau groaned and crushed his palms to his eyes. "But I must have. I was naked. There was semen on my fingers." He lifted his hand as if to study it. "She was crying. Huddled on the bed in the corner. Fuck. I hurt her." He gasped and burst into tears.

"Beau." Peter waited until he looked up. "How many days ago did Fin open your box of private papers?"

"Yesterday." Beau nodded and then declared, "I shouldn't have cared but it made me so angry. I don't understand why."

"Beau." Once again Peter waited until Beau looked at him. "Fin says you locked yourself in the shed four days ago."

"What? No..." Beau shook his head. "It was yesterday."

"Not according to Fin." Peter pulled out his torch. "I don't know what's happened in your past but I think you've had struggles. My guess is, you've had a blackout and lost four days of your life along the way."

"Fuck..." Beau hung his head once more. "I'm a crazy mother fucker aren't I, doc?"

"Yeah, maybe." Peter put his hand on the top of Beau's head. "I'd say you are a little crazy, Beau, but I don't think you're a rapist."

"I'm not?" Beau looked up, puzzled. Hope flared in his eyes.

Peter Green shrugged. "If Fin says you're not, then we take her word for it."

He switched on the torch and shone the beam into Beau's eyes as he said, "Follow the light."

I think the doc might be right.

Image taken from Freepik.