Chapter 8: Aftermath

Beau walked back to the guest bedroom (that Marigold was in) thinking, 'What did I just do? I lost my temper in a way that I almost never do but… Seeing what he did to Marigold killed me. I just couldn't control myself. The fact that he would do that to a woman is bad enough and that alone would have made me knock out his teeth but the fact that he did this to Marigold… If Carls wasn't there to stop me… I would have turned into a completely different person. I would have gone too far.' Beau stood at the doorway of the guest bedroom (that Marigold was in) and saw Marigold sitting down, hunched over, covering her face while she cried. He walked over to her, kneeled down to her level, and said, "You don't have to worry about Trad anymore, he's gone for good…" Marigold stuttered, "I-I w-was so em-embarrassed and y-you just o-over powered m-me." Beau asked, "What are you…" Marigold slammed her hand on her chair's armrest, looked up at Beau as tears ran down her cheeks, and interrupted him, answering, "LOOK, LOOK AT WHAT HE DID TO ME! He beat me up and threw me in a closet because he was stronger than me! There was nothing I could do, NOTHING AT ALL! Just like with your father! I got OVERPOWERED AND FORCED TO DO WHAT YOU WANTED! Nobody asked me what I wanted, nobody except Carls. Everyone has been forcing me to do what they want me to do, but nobody cares about my feelings and opinions! Look at what he did to me!" Beau said, "Marigold I…" Marigold interrupted Beau once more, crying, "After everything that was done to me you think you would have some sympathy and at least listen to my small request to let go of me but you wouldn't. Y-You even shouted at Carls about my decision not to call the police because I'm embarrassed to face anyone else looking like this!" Beau thought back to when he first came into the room and saw Marigold, looked at Marigold, and said, "Marigold, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just… I just care about you and…" Marigold interrupted, shouting, "If you cared about me you wouldn't have made me show you my face, you would've just listened to me and stopped but no you're just like all the others. You just do what you want. You used your strength to force me to do something I didn't want to do even after you knew what he did to me. H-How c-could y-you Beau?" Carls walked into the room, and Beau said, "Marigold, it was… I was…" Marigold interrupted Beau again, shouting, "You don't care about me and my opinions Beau! You don't care about me! Just g-get out! Get out right now and leave me alone!" Beau felt his heart snap and he said, "Marigold I…" Tears rolled down her cheeks and she whispered, "How could you do this to me Beau… Why wouldn't you just stop…" Carls walked over to Beau, put his (Carls) hand on his (Beau's) shoulder, and said, "Come Master Beau." Beau stood up, and Carls said to him (Beau) while they began leaving the room, "She just needs some time." Beau left the room standing in the doorway, looking at Carls, and Marigold looked up, seeing Carls about to leave the room. She said, "Carls, can you please stay? I need some company… And please shut the door." Carls looked back at her, said, "Yes, Miss Marigold," looked back at Beau staring at him (Carls), and shut the door. Beau sighed, sat next to the door, and thought, 'Why, why did I force her to show me her face? I was just so enraged that I wasn't thinking about being gentle with her, I wasn't thinking about how she felt about the situation and what just happened to her. She needed me to be understanding and listen to her, but I was just so angry. The thought of someone beating on my wife… The thought of someone mocking her and forcing her to do what they wanted against her will. I just couldn't control myself…' He listened, hearing Marigold's cries through the door. He thought, 'I was trying to protect her from someone who made her cry and feel worthless, and I did the same thing I was trying to protect her from… I.. I messed up.' Beau rested the back of his head on the wall and thought, 'I'm… I'm going crazy…' An hour passed, and Marigold's cries got softer and softer until she was finally silent. 

POP, ERRRRRRRR

The door to the guest room opened. Beau quickly stood up, seeing Carls leave the room, closing the door behind him (Carls). Beau said, "How is she? Is she okay? Does she need anything? What can I do?" Carls said, "She's finally resting, Master Beau." Beau sighed, and Carls said, "I know you're concerned about her Master Beau, but please just give her some time. Right now, she's in a place unfamiliar to her. She's been forced to do things and beaten up for resisting. She feels belittled, so it'll take her some time to come around." Beau rubbed the back of his neck with his (Beau's) hand and said, "I know, I really messed things up and overreacted. D-Do you think I should go?" Carls said, "Master Beau, you didn't overreact. I mean, even I lost my temper when I saw what he did to her. Trad had no right to put his hands on her. She isn't mad that you were upset or even that you fought Trad, she's mad that you forced her to show her face to you when she didn't want to. She's mad that you made her feel like she didn't have a choice. What Miss Marigold needs right now is to know that you're here for her and that she has a voice and options. She doesn't want to feel like a prisoner, especially if she's going to be calling this place home." Beau asked, "How can I make her feel like this is home when she won't even talk to me?" Carls answered, saying, "Be her voice because right now she can't speak for herself. You have to help her to speak, especially to Master Nathaniel because he won't listen to her. Stand up for her and do all you can to make this home a home she'll feel comfortable in, and most importantly don't force her to do things she doesn't want to do, even if you're angry. Slow down and think about her." Beau said, "Alright," and Carls said, "You're a married man now Master Beau. Your wife comes before yourself, and even though you two don't yet know each other all that well, you must think of her as a part of you. Do all you can do for her and try to find things she likes and wants to do…" Beau said, "Alright… I have to do better for my wife." Carls nodded and said, "Now Master Beau, I talked to your father, and they'll be coming back first thing tomorrow morning. You have to be Marigold's voice and stand up for her." Beau said, "Ah, so he can answer your 2 calls but not my 100's… I'm in for something else tomorrow." Carls nodded and said, "I have to go back in, Miss Marigold wants me to stay with her all night, I just came out to update you…" Beau said, "But don't you need sleep." Carls said, "I'm an old man, I never sleep. Besides anything I can do for Miss Marigold to make her feel more comfortable after her ordeal, I'll do. I'll just end my shift in the morning." Beau said, "Don't push yourself, your heart." Carls said, "My heart can take it. I'll be okay Master Beau," and went back inside the room, closing the door behind him (Carls). Beau yawned, sat next to the door, and said, 'If Carls is going to stay up, I am too. I have to be there for my wife. After everything she's been through… Even though she won't say it, she needs me, and I'll be there when she calls for me.' Beau rested the back of his head against the wall, waiting for his parents to return. 

An hour of silence slowly went by, and Marigold began to scream, "Help, help, help, help." Beau swung open the door to the room, seeing Marigold screaming and kicking in her sleep while Carls tried to comfort her. Carls looked at Beau and said, "Master Beau, she needs you." Beau rushed over to Marigold, grabbed her arms, and shouted, "Marigold, Marigold, wake up." Marigold continued to scream and Beau held her shouting, "Marigold wake up, it's okay…" Tears began dripping out of Marigold's shut eyes as she screamed, "Stop, don't sell me." Beau put his hand on the back of her head and shouted, "Marigold, wake up, you're having a nightmare." Marigold screamed, "No, stop, stop it." Beau said, "Marigold, I'm here. Please wake up." Marigold opened her eyes, and Beau looked at her, wiping away her tears. She pushed Beau away, looked at Carls, and shouted, "Get him out, get him out of this room. I hate him." Carls said, Miss Marigold he…" and she interrupted him, shouting, "Get him out of here! I don't want to see him, I don't want to even look at him!" Carls nodded, said, "Right away, Miss Marigold," and Beau stormed out of the room while Carls followed him (Beau) out closing the door behind him (Carls). Beau said, "No matter what I do, she hates me, Carls…" Carls said, "This is her first day… You need to be patient with her. She thinks you're the enemy." Beau said, "But I had nothing to do with…" Carls interrupted him (Beau), saying, "But she thinks you did. You have to be patient with her and know this. I couldn't calm her down, but you could… She doesn't hate you. She needs you." Beau sighed, and Marigold shouted, "Carls." Carls looked at the door, and Beau said, "Do whatever you can to make her comfortable. Please just make her feel safe." Carls nodded and went back into the guest room, closing the door behind him (Carls). Beau sat against the wall next to the guest bedroom door and thought, 'He's right… I have to give her some time. After all, she thinks I had something to do with her kidnapping. I can't expect her to like me after one day, I can't even expect her to tolerate me after one day… The only thing I can do is be there for her when she needs me and be her voice when she can't speak for herself. I have to swallow my pride and at least help her see that she does have options, and I do listen to what she has to say. I want her to know I do care about her feelings.' Beau rested the back of his head against the wall and continued to wait for his parents to come home. 

The hours passed, and Beau looked at his phone with red, heavy eyes. He saw the time and said, "It's 8:30am, and they still aren't here." Beau shut his eyes and thought, 'He sure likes to take his time when it comes to things he doesn't want to address.'

FUWHAM SLAM 

The front door slammed open, and Nathaniel shouted, "I can't believe we had to cut our vacation that short." Angela said, "Oh please, Nathaniel, we can go on another trip." Nathaniel grumbled, "But I wanted to spend some alone time with you, we barely get to and now we have to wait because I have a business trip to go to." Angela said, "I know, and I would like to spend more time with you, but I'm glad we got a little time alone together." Nathaniel kissed Angela and said, "You make me happy, my queen." Angela said, "Now you must go to the guest bedroom. Carls said it was urgent." Nathaniel said, "It better be, I cut my alone time with you short because of him." Nathaniel walked up the stairs while Angela said, "Do you want me to come with you?" Nathaniel said, "No, no, my queen. I can handle this by myself." Nathaniel walked to the guest bedroom (that Marigold was in), saw Beau sitting on the floor, and said, "Alright, you succeeded in cutting my vacation short. What do you want?" Beau jumped to his feet and said, "Do you have any idea what you've done to her? How badly you messed with her?" Nathaniel scoffed and said, "How badly I messed with her? Please. I gave her a better life. Marigold had nothing, and now she has everything. She should stop pouting and start being happy." Beau said, "Happy? You kidnapped her, and you want her to be happy? Is that a joke, or are you delusional?" Nathaniel said, "I'm not delusional, I'm realistic! Her home life was horrible. She should be thanking us for saving her." Beau said, "Oh, and I guess you think she should be happy that Trad dragged her out of her home and into the house?" Nathaniel said, "Trad is rough around the edges, but he gets the job done." Beau shouted, "He put his hands on my wife! He made her cry, that's not rough around the edges." Angela rushed over to Nathaniel and Beau, asking, "Why are you yelling Beau?" Beau covered his mouth with his hand, and Nathaniel said, "It's nothing, Angela. Beau is just being unreasonable." Beau slammed his hand down against his leg and shouted, "I'm not unreasonable! He put his hands on my wife!" Angela said, "Wh-what who put their hands on Marigold?" Nathaniel said, "And I will talk to him about it. Look Beau, you needed a wife, and Trad was trying to help." Angela said, Nathaniel, stop being unreasonable, Trad is way stronger than Marigold is! He had no right to even touch her. How can you justify that?" Nathaniel said, "Because he didn't hurt her, he just escorted her here." Carls came out of the room, closed the door behind him, and Beau said, "You're wrong. He hurt my wife, and that's why I fired him." Nathaniel said, "You did what? You had no authority…" Beau interrupted him shouting, "I have authority when it's my wife that he's hurting and I don't care about the company and I knocked some of his teeth out too, I bet you they're still outside!" Nathaniel shouted, "Beau he could press charges against you for that! It'll bring bad publicity to you and the company. It'll take me weeks and a lot of money to clear your name." Beau shouted, "Who cares about the company?! Who cares about my name? He injured my wife, and I'm going to protect my wife like you would've protected mom had he done what he did to her!" Nathaniel sighed, and Carls said, "Master Nathaniel, allow me to shed some light on what happened." Nathaniel said, "He better have done something horrific to constitute Beau firing him and beating him up…" Carls said, "You see Master Nathaniel, Master Beau…" 

POP, EEEEEEEEEER 

Carls was interrupted by the sounds of the guest bedroom door opening. Everyone looked at Marigold, seeing darkened black and purple bruising all over her face and body. They also saw scraps and saw that she had a fat lip. Nathaniel's, Beau's, and Angela's face went completely pale, and Beau felt his heart sink to his stomach. Angela covered her mouth with her hand and cried, "What happened?" Beau said, "You see, you see why I knocked his teeth in! Look what he did to her!" Angela grabbed Marigold's hands and cried, "Oh, you poor thing, you must be terrified." Angela looked at Nathaniel with tears in her eyes and shouted, "How could you have kept on such a coward?! He's clearly bigger and stronger than she is!" Nathaniel stuttered, "I-I, I, I didn't know he…" Beau interrupted him (Nathaniel) saying, "Well he's a monster and I will not have him anywhere near my wife, she's already terrified as it is, she doesn't need anymore stress added to her." Angela looked at Marigold and cried, "Oh, why aren't you at a hospital? We need to take you to a hospital." Marigold mumbled, "I-I can't." Angela said, "Oh nonsense, we need to take you to a hospital and call the police." Marigold mumbled, "Please, I-I don't want to press charges. I don't even want people seeing me like this, I-I, I'm too embarrassed." Angela said, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, dear! Trad does for being such a coward!" Angela looked at Nathaniel and shouted, "I never want to see Trad around here ever again! You better never allow him back in this home or even back working for you! Not after this." Nathaniel said, "No, he will never be allowed back here again. What he did to her is unacceptable, and I won't allow it here." Marigold turned around and went back inside her room, shutting the door behind her. Angela looked at the door and said, "Oh, that poor girl." Carls said, "She's been through a lot in one day, and she trusts very few people right now." Beau said, "Carls, she trusts you, so I'm putting you in charge of taking care of her basic needs for now." Carls nodded and Nathaniel said, "Beau… I never meant for any of this to happen… From now on I won't interfere with your relationship with Marigold and I won't object to anything you do for her from now on." Nathaniel walked to his office while Angela asked, "Where are you going?" Nathaniel answered, "To make a phone call." 

Nathaniel walked to his office, shut the door behind him, pulled out his phone, and called Trad. Trad answered the phone, saying, "Mr.Bax, I knew you'd be calling. Your crazy son knocked my teeth out and tried firing me, I knew you would put him in his place, though." Nathaniel said, "I came home early, Trad. I saw what you did to my daughter in law." Trad said, "she was trying to run away, I had to stop her." Nathaniel said, "You viciously beat her and think I'm going to rehire you?" Trad scoffed and said, "Oh Mr.Bax, you've done worse things." Nathaniel shouted, "I've never put my hands on someone who was defenseless against me." Trad said, "But you did kidnap her for Beau… I did what I had to do just like you did. What's the big deal?" Nathaniel said, "I won't have a woman beater working for me! You could have killed her with your studitiy!" Trad said, "And your son could have killed me! He knocked my teeth out, and that old man nearly knocked my jaw out of place! I should be pressing charges." Nathaniel said, "You're pathetic, Trad! Talking about pressing charges. Marigold should be pressing charges against you for what you did to her and you're lucky the only thing my son did was knock out your teeth because had you done that to my wife I would have killed you." Trad said, "You know I could have your company for what Beau did to me! You'd be fighting bad publicity for years, trying to clear the air." Nathaniel said, "On the contrary, if you dare to try to press charges against Beau or you try to bring a bad light to Beau, Marigold will press charges and show her face around the news. Think about how many people will come after you for being a woman beater!" Trad said, "Ugh… M-Mark my w-words I will have your company!" Nathaniel said, "Yeah, we'll see," and hung up the phone.