"I heard this man say he was coming in to have s*x with me. He used cruder words," Sam said to the sheriff.
"So your... husband got jealous and beat him?" the officer asked, looking closer at Sam's neck. The mark from Hal's grip was beginning to show.
"We're not married," Sam blurted.
The sheriff pointed to Hal's hand. "He seems to be married to someone. That mark on your neck is no hickey. Are you okay, miss?" The lawman put his hand on his holster, and Sam felt Hal's body respond. She froze.
Hal forced himself to relax. He'd been drilled on this by his doctors. He had a script to follow. "I have an acute case of PTSD. I was woken incorrectly just before the clerk's arrival." He turned his head to Sam. "I sincerely apologize for any harm I might have caused you."
"It's okay!" Sam ins
