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“So you had yourself evaluated?” the Sheriff asked.
Bo stiffened and turned to me expectantly. He knew that answer.
“Well, not exactly, but I feel normal and I’m not leaving here,” I said.
“I demand that you force him to come back to Charleston and be seen by his primary care physician,” my father exclaimed. “And if you are unwilling to do so and my son suffers a complication from his horrendous injury, the consequences will fall on you, Sheriff Duncan. Your choice.”
Bo had apparently heard enough. “Hayes is perfectly fine and recovered his memory two weeks ago,” he argued.
“Are you a physician, Mr. . . .?” Daddy inquired.
“It’s Dawson, sir. Bo Dawson, and no I am not a doctor,” Bo stated.
“Good. And now that we have ascertained that fact, you can leave the medical advice to the professionals,” my father said, crossing his arms and waiting for the Sheriff to speak.
There was an uncomfortable silence before the Sheriff finally spoke. Bo was looking back and forth between everyone, occasionally shooting Phillip a death glare, which was returned in kind. I knew I had rights but was concerned about the law.
“You’re going to need to come with me, Mr. Crawford,” the Sheriff said, breaking the silence and the stalemate.
Bo stepped in front of me and held me behind him. “He isn’t going anywhere unless he wants to,” he said.
“Stay out of this, Bo,” the Sheriff cautioned. “Until we can confirm that Mr. Crawford is healthy and—”
“Which will be decided byhisdoctor inhishometown,” Daddy interjected.
The Sheriff patiently listened to my father before turning back to Bo and myself. “Until Mr. Crawford’s health has been cleared by his doctors in Charleston, I’m afraid he’s going with his family or to jail with me.”
“He is not my family,” I hissed, pointing at Phillip. “Why the hell is he even here?” I demanded. “I jumped off the boat because of him.”
“What?” Daddy roared, turning to Phillip. “You never told me my son jumped from your friend’s yacht, Phillip.”
“I sure as hell didn’t know he jumped ship!” Phillip yelped. “See? He’s nuts. He wasn’t thinking straight. More proof he needs to be examined.”
I ran around Bo and was about to leap off the porch to strangle Phillip, barely keeping my towel wrapped around me, when Bo and the Sheriff held me back. “You fucking liar!” I yelled. “You cheater. You . . . bastard!”
Bo had lifted me off my feet so I was kicking air as I tried to get to Phillip.
Phillip stepped back and waved his hands around. “See?” he asked, motioning to me. “I told you. He’s hysterical, Sheriff.”
Phillip’s words set Bo off and he headed down the steps toward Phillip. Lucky for Phillip the Sheriff was on Bo in an instant. “Don’t, Bo,” he said, turning to all of us and catching each person’s attention. “I will arrest each and every one of you, so everybody best be calming down. Ya hear me?”
The Sheriff looked at me while Bo returned to my side and held my hand. The move wasn’t lost on the Sheriff who glanced away after witnessing two men holding hands. Phillip’s brow pinched and he was left puzzled about what he was witnessing, and Daddy rolled his eyes, his go-to move anytime something he deemedhomosexualhappened in front of him.
“I can take you in on adanger to his personcharge or you can willingly return to Charleston with your father, Mr. Crawford,” Sheriff Duncan advised. “This will be happening immediately, so you two best get squared and meet us at the boat.”
“I’m going with him,” Bo declared.
“The hell you are,” Daddy stated. “Not in my lifetime, pal. I will make sure you are compensated for your time and whatever this was,” he said, waving his hand in disgust. “But my son will be leaving alone.”
“Keep your money,” Bo huffed. He turned back to me. “Hayes?” he asked, pleading for help.
“You’re not going with them today, son,” Sheriff Duncan intervened. “Let Mr. Crawford get this handled first.”
I glared at Phillip and then pushed Bo toward the door. “I’ll be down in a few minutes, Sheriff,” I said. “I’ll go with them.”
I watched as the three men made their way to the dock and then I joined Bo who was sitting at the table, leaning back in a chair with his arms crossed. I stood behind him and rubbed his neck. He brought a hand up and held mine.
“Fucking assholes!” he steamed. “I wanna wipe the smug look off your ex’s fucking face.”
