Please do not hate me for writing about this horrendous topic or for making Bo's son Drew Evil. (But to be fair, I never cared for him anyways. Lol). It was an attempt to fix the cabana stuff in a period that Sam did not exist. Lol. Inspired by a picture of someone drowning. My hope is that this story will raise awareness about the subject matter (and realize that it is NOT the way movies or TV generally portray it…Usually the victim KNOWS her attacker.) I promise to have things get happier eventually so hang in there. Love to all my faithful followers.

December 31, 1999

It has taken almost four months for the results of his son's autopsy to come back in full. He spent those four months in limbo, trying to understand how his son's life could end so violently…and wondering whether his wife was dead or just missing.

Today was New Year's Eve and he was sitting in the dark trying to conjure up an image of her beautiful face…and worrying that he was forgetting the small details that he used to know by heart. He thought that by now he would feel the loss, as he did with his son…but with Nora, he still felt her presence in every muscle. Everyone told him to accept that she was dead but because there was no body, he could not bring himself to let her go…not when he still felt her pain as if it were his own.

"Bo," Hank called out, when he walked into the dark office. Bo was not going home during the nights…he could not face the empty bed alone. "Hey Buddy; I need to talk to you."

He flipped on the light and Bo tried to adjust his eyes to the brightness he has been avoiding whenever possible.

"What is it Hank," he asked? The other man knew that Bo preferred the dark because it could hide the tears. He knew that he blamed himself for what happened and this would do nothing to ease his guilt so he took a seat next to him.

"I have the autopsy results. I think you need to see them right away."

"What is the point Hank? It's not going to bring him back."

"No, but it might help you find Nora."

Hank did not like where his mind was going but he could not lie to his best friend; He was starting to believe that he was not half as crazy as he initially believed; He was starting to believe that the woman they both love is alive.

"What does that mean Hank? I do not think I like where you are going with this."

"Just read the results Bo? Tell me what you think?"

He snatched the paper from his friend and began to read the detailed report. Most of the report was just routine…until it was not.

Internal Examination Summary:

Integumentary system: Skin tissue found under the alleged victim's fingernails. DNA testing identifies the tissue as not belonging to the deceased but rather his missing stepmother, Nora Buchanan, whose blood was found at the crime scene.

"How the hell does he get her skin tissue under his nails? " Bo snapped.

"Keep Reading Bo. You have to know the truth. All of it."

"I don't even know if I want to know. If he turns out to be some kind of monster, what the hell does that make me?"

Hank placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You are not your son Bo…and you didn't even raise him. If this is on anyone besides Drew then it is on his spiteful mother…now keep reading…you need to see it all…it is the only way you will believe it."

He hated to admit that Hank was right but he had been living his life with rose-colored glasses ever since his son walked into his life again; it never even occurred to him to wonder if he was playing him for a fool… Nora, on the other hand, probably knew from day one; she was too smart not to notice the clues and too good hearted to tell him. That was probably why she was missing.

Musculoskeletal System: Lacerations present on the hands, appearing to be the result of strong human bite marks.

Digestive System: Red lines appear in linear motion along the face, suggesting deep scratch marks.

Central Nervous System: Dislocation of the spinal cord from the skull base resulting in cervical fractures typical of a broken neck.

Reproductive System: Blood and pubic hairs found in the male genitals did not belong to the deceased. Upon further examination, it is discovered that it was the same blood found at the crime scene, belonging to Nora Buchanan.

Cause of death: A broken neck resulting from a struggle.

Manner of Death: Homicide

She checks underneath her nails for dirt as she meticulously takes a brush from the bathtub and begins to scrub. She does not just wash her hands; she scours them under scalding hot water. She now sees the reflection of what can only be described as murderous red as it fills the sink. She frantically tries to wash the stains from her hands.

She felt as if her lungs were slowly filling with water until there was no more space left for air. Every time she tried to take a breath, it hurt. She knows he has been drinking Vodka because the smell is like a snapshot in her brain…She craves it even when she swears it repulses her. She wants to retch as his body sags over hers and she feels the brutality of his thrusts. As her insides burn with intensity, it feels as if someone is tearing the flesh from her body.

Her rib cage sizzled with an aching intensity as the cold saltwater flooded into her lungs. All she could see now was darkness as she struggled for every breath. It would have been easy to let the angry waves end her pain but a voice deep inside her would not let her quit. Clawing her way to the surface, she stops just short of drowning, choking up water and seaweed. Every muscle in her body is searing from excruciating pain but still she picks herself up. She can feel his angry eyes on her back as she tears down the wet sand, the blood dripping from her thighs her only cover.

Her eyes were vacant as she crawled into an empty parking garage. Blood had now dried on her broken body as her senses deadened and she became paralyzed from both exhaustion and fear. She knows she needs help but she feels as if every muscle in her body is roaring with unbridled flames. The last thing she remembers is writing the letter D on the street with her own blood before she loses consciousness.

She hears the sound of a seagull outside her window and suddenly her eyes shoot open and she can feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She tries to inhale but it comes out as a gasp. She feels as if she will pass out from the lack of oxygen so she takes deep breaths as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. The nightmares are becoming more frequent and more severe now. She is beginning to feel sensations in her body that mirror her darkest terrors.

Are they real, she wonders? Are they a sign of who she really is?

Every horrific detail of the words clearly visible in front of him tormented him, which only fueled the rage that now churned inside his belly. He could feel the heat behind his neck as his fists clenched in unbridled fury. It was comparable to a volcano erupting, the intensity of his wrath spewing from him in waves.

"Tell me this isn't true," he snapped. "Tell me that my son did not torture my wife that way. Tell me."

Hank looked at his best friend, the silence no longer sitting between them, and he wished he could tell him he was wrong. The sorrow in his own heart for what his ex-wife suffered through was evident by the sadness in his eyes.

"Bo, I…I can't. And you need to be strong enough to read one more thing."

"Are you telling me it gets worse? How could it possibly be any worse than this?"

He did not need to see the look in Hanks eyes to know that whatever was in that medical report would prove beyond a shadow of doubt that his son was a monster.

Jane Doe, initially discovered unconscious in a parking garage, is suffering from severe hypothermia and shock. Discoloration to the skin suggests lack of oxygen in the blood. Upon evaluation, the patient appears to have gone mute and is unable to respond to questions about her alleged attack. With help from a crisis counselor, Patient gives consent for a Rape kit. Jane Doe is extremely agitated and has to take several breaks during the exam. No clothing found on patient, suggesting the alleged attack took place in another location.

"He was trying to kill her wasn't he," Bo asks, rhetorically and goes back to the file. Pictures taken from the exam show extreme bleeding and bruising. The eyes that are staring back at him are void of any emotion. It was the last piece of evidence that got to him.

Patient scrawled the letter D on the pavement with her own blood upon discovery. Bruises on her knees suggest that she crawled at least part of her way.

Hank grows concerned when Bo suddenly clutches his chest, his face turns deathly white and his breathing becomes shallow.

"Bo…Bo, talk to me," Hank asks. He suddenly grabs hold of Hanks arm for balance and he is almost sure that he is about to have a heart attack. He waits a few seconds, as if he is expecting some drastic change in the weather. Bo suddenly leans over the trashcan and begins to puke, followed quickly by trembling of his body and finally of him sinking down to the ground, putting his head in his hands and sobbed. To Hank, it was more than just the release of emotion…it is the inconsolable grief of someone who has lost all hope.