"Have a good night, Tonya!"

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, I tried studying in here, but I just couldn't concentrate. Too quiet, I guess."

"Well, it is a library ..."

Josh laughs. "Well, I'm headed back to the room. Don't work too hard these last 15 minutes of your shift."

"I won't. See you in math class Monday."

Josh picks up his backpack and heads out the door. The cool night breeze tousles his auburn hair. He looks up at the stars, Orion's familiar shape hanging in the sky over the dorms. He pulls his jacket around himself a little tighter, turns, and walks resolutely toward his room, fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

He decides, for a change, to cross the courtyard in the middle of the Quad and go in the far end of the dorms. Suddenly, he stops dead silent. He peers through the darkness toward an empty wall at the back of the Quad. He tilts his head, trying to hear better.

"Who's there?"

The leaves stir, and Josh cautiously makes his way toward the sound. "Who's there? Are you OK?"

His footsteps hasten slightly as he approaches the unlit corner. The sound he heard is now coming from below him. He kneels, rubbing his eyes as they adjust to the darkness. "Oh my God!"

"911. How may I assist you?"

"Yes. My name is Joshua. I'm a student at Lakeview University. There's a girl here. I don't know who she is. But she's been hurt pretty bad."

"What sort of injuries does she have?"

"I don't know. Um, she's been bleeding. Her clothes are torn. She's unconscious, but breathing."

"Do you know what happened?"

"No ma'am."

"Where is she?"

"I found her laying on the ground outside my dorm."

"Is she still there now?"

"No ma'am. I carried her into my room. I wasn't going to leave here out there while I came in to call you."

"We'll send someone out there. Which dorm are you in?"

"Room AD-33, between Charles and Bennett dorms."

"Is your roommate there, or anyone else?"

"No ma'am. I have a single room. One of the perks of being one of the few seniors still living in the dorms, I guess."

"EMS is on the way. I'll talk you through some First Aid you can administer while you're waiting ..."

Joshua is sitting in a hospital hallway, head bowed in prayer. A doctor comes out of a nearby room and puts his hand on Josh's shoulder. Josh looks up and wipes his eyes.

"Is she going to be OK, Dr. Davis?"

"She's going to be just fine."

"What happened to her?"

"She has some broken bones, quite a few cuts and scrapes. Those will heal. but she probably has some emotional scars that will take more time to heal."

"What are you saying? What happened?"

"These injuries do not appear to be the result of an accident."

"Are you saying someone assaulted her, or maybe she tried to commit suicide or something?"

"There is no indication that it was a suicide attempt. However, there are indications of, shall I say, sexual trauma."

"You mean she was raped?"

"It would appear that way. So if you have any more information you would like to share with the police, please do."

"I've already given them a statement, but I can review it with them if you like."

"May not be a bad idea. Whoever did this to her is still out there and could hurt someone else."

"May I go in and see her?"

"She's resting right now."

"I just want to give her a present."

"OK. Just don't wake her."

Josh goes in and places the present on her bedside table. He gently caresses her cheek with the back of his hand , kisses her on the forehead, and slips out.

A scream echoes down the hall. The nurse comes running. The girl is awake and flailing around in the dark.

"Where am I? What's going on?"

The nurse turns on a bedside light and puts her hand on the girl's shoulder. "You're in the Pearis Memorial Hospital, Dear. You've beem hurt, and we're taking care of you, to make you better. Please be careful not to pull out the IV. I don't want to have to stick it back in you again."

"But what happened? How did I get here? I don't remember anything ..."

"That's a bit of a mystery. We were hoping you could shed some light on that for us. I know you have some broken bones, cuts, and scrapes, but nobody knows how you got them."

"Am I going to be OK?" Tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"Nothing's permanently damaged. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"I'm scared. Will you sit with me?"

"Of course. Would you like to talk about it or anything?" She shakes her head. "OK. Oh, look! Someone's left a present for you. Would you like me to read you the card?" She nods sheepishly.

"The card itself has some flowers on the front and says 'Get Well Soon'. But there's a handwritten note on the inside:

Dear "Jane",

That's what everybody's calling you, "Jane Doe", because they don't know your real name.
Right now, you're probably wondering where you are, what happened, and how you got here. I can answer two of those questions. You're in a hospital bed at Pearis Memorial, being treated for some serious injuries you received. What happened to you, I have no idea. Maybe you could help answer that question, once you're feeling better, if you want to remember it. However, I do know how you got here. You were found on Lakeview's campus, lying unconscious on the ground outside the men's dorm. I won't go into graphic detail, but you were in pretty bad shape. 911 was called, and an ambulance picked you up and brought you here. The doctors treated your injuries and put you in this room. They told me you would be OK, but that it would take some time to heal.
How do I know all of this? I was the one who found you. I took you inside and called 911. With the dispatcher's instructions, I gave you first aid while we waited on EMS. I rode with you in the ambulance and sat outside of your room praying for you while the doctors and nurses took care of you. I gave the police all of the information I had, which unfortunately was very little. And I made sure you were going to be OK before I left. The doctors said you needed some rest to help you recover, so I called a friend to come pick me up, but I will be back to check on you.
I'm not telling you all of this to brag about what I've done. I just want you to know, if you ever feel alone or scared, that someone cares. I hope you get well soon.

Love and friendship,
Joshua Carpenter

The nurse puts down the card and looks over at the bed. The girl wipes her eyes. "I really don't remember any of that. I don't remember what happened. I don't remember him. I just remember going over to meet my study partner, and then I woke up here."

"Well, of all of the people who could've found you, sounds like you got a pretty good one. He left before my shift started, so I didn't get to meet him, but the other staff said he was a very nice guy and a real gentleman. Said he didn't know you, but he was looking after you as if you were his best friend. ... Looks like he left another little something for you over here." The nurse reaches over to the end table and picks up a large, fuzzy stuffed animal and hands it to the girl.

The girl looks at the tag on his ear. "To help you sleep at night. You're never too old for a teddy bear." She hugs the bear tightly and begins sobbing. The nurse puts her arm around her and holds her.

After a few minutes, the girl looks up, drying her eyes with the blanket around her. "I think I may be OK tonight now, thank you."

"Anytime, Hon. If you do need me, just page me, OK?"

"Should I ask for you when I page the nurses' station?"

"Most likely I'd be the one who'd come, but ask for 'Judy' and I'll come a-runnin'" The girl nods. "By the way, Sugar. What's your name?"

"Hannah."

The next day, after breakfast, a police officer comes in to take a statement from Hannah. She tells them what little bit she remembers, from about what time she left her room to what her study partner's name was and where his room was, but she still remembers nothing about what happened between the time she entered the Quad and when she woke up in the hospital.

The officer leaves her and goes to question her study partner. On his way out, he passes Josh in the hall.

"How is she doing this morning, sir?"

"Better. She's having trouble remembering details, but that's normal under the circumstances."

"Post-Traumatic Stress?" The officer nods. "May I go in to see her? Do you think it’ll be OK?”

“She was quite excited about your card and the bear. I think it would be nice to put a face with it.”

Joshua steps inside the room, the officer standing in the doorway. "Hey there. Do you remember me?"

Her eyes probe his face, searching for some connection. Suddenly, a look of horror crosses her face. "Oh my G**. Get out of here!" She throws a cup of ice water at him. The officer rushes back into the room, followed closely by a nurse and a doctor.

"Not quite the reception I had expected ..." The nurse hands him a towel to dry off.

The officer speaks up. "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?"

"Him! I remember now! He's the one! The son of a ***** that raped me!"

"Now Hannah, Dear," the nurse speaks up. "I think you're a little confused. He didn't hurt you. This was the guy who brought you here."

"No. ... No." She's trembling. "I know what happened. It was him ..."

"Hannah. I was here when he brought you in. This is the guy who brought you here. I promise, he's the same guy."

"Then you are one sick bas****. Get away from me! And take your G** d*** bear with you!" She throws the bear at him, hitting him in the head, and she breaks down into tears. Josh reaches for her, but the officer grabs him by the wrist.

"I think you and I need to talk." He escorts Josh out of the room and into his patrol car.

"Pardon my saying so, sir, but that is just sick. To think that I would assault her, and ..., and ... violate her, ... and then call 911 and act like a hero?!"

"It's actually more common than you think. It's usually either a ploy to try to throw us off your trail, a result of a guilty conscience after the attack, or a sign of a psychological problem. So which is it in your case, Carpenter?"

"None of these. It was an honest attempt to help someone in need. If it's a sin to help another human being, them I'm guilty. I'm guilty of caring. I'm guilty of giving a d***. What would you have done in that situation? Tell me."

"OK. So maybe you're not guilty of the assault. But she remembers you and what you did. So maybe you found her, hurt and unconscious, like you said. Maybe you even took her into your room to call the police. But then maybe, just maybe, while she was in bed and unconscious, you just couldn't control yourself. She was pretty, her clothes were torn off, and ..."

"That is absolutely disgusting."

"So tell me again what you remember now, Hannah."

"It's still a little fuzzy, but I remember more now. My roommate had gone home for the weekend, but I needed to stay up here and study for a test on Monday. ... Oh, Lord. What am I going to do about that test?"

"Don't worry. We talked to your professor, and she said she would work with you."

"That's good, then. ... Anyway, it was dark and I was walking alone, which was stupid, I know. I went ... I went ... I'm sorry. I'm drawing a blank again."

"That's OK. Concentrate, and tell me what you remember next."

"I remember ...," she pauses, a tear trickling down her cheek, "strug- ...," her voice quivers, "struggling. He grabs me. I pull away, and he hits me. He rips my shirt. I try to fight him, but ... Oh God! And then I'm on his bed. He's looking down at me. I can't move. I can't do anything. And then I get a good look at his face."

"And what does he look like?"

"That guy who was in here earlier. That guy who said he saved me."

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Yes sir. He's the one."

Josh is arrested, a court date is set, and he is released on bail pending trial. Hannah continues to recover and is eventually able to leave the hospital. The college grants her medical leave for the rest of the semester.

Local papers run stories: "Kiss and Tell", "Rape and Rescue", "Bad Samaritan". Joshua's friends and family do everything they can to preserve his reputation, but the media doesn't give much credence or coverage to their stories.

The day of the trial arrives, and it's a media circus outside of the courthouse.

Inside, the judge is able to keep order. Opening statements are made, and several witnesses are called, questioned, and cross-examined.

"So, Tonya. You said you saw the defendant come into the library, but you don't really know what time it was."

"I said I believe it was around 7:00."

"You believe. OK. And what time did he leave?"

"Right around 7:45 - about 15 minutes before my shift ended at 8:00."

"So he was there maybe 45 minutes. If your 'guess' of 7:00 was correct. And he could've left and come back, right?"

"Not very likely, no."

"Why not?"

"There is one way in, and one way out, and that's the door right beside my desk. I see anyone and everyone who comes in or out."

"That is, unless your distracted, talking, doing homework, checking books in or out, etc. Isn't that right?"

"I guess that's always a possibility ..."

"Mrs. Pearl, did you say?"

"Yes sir. That's what everyone calls me."

"You said you saw the defendant on the night in question."

"Yes, I sure did. Always see him. He works in the computer lab until 6:00, and by the time he finishes up and walks over, it's 6:15 or 6:20. We stop serving at 6:30, but I make sure Linda in the burger line stays open until he shows up. And sure enough, he came that night. Stopped by to say 'Hi' and got his burger and fries like he always does when he works late. Come 6:30, when we were closing up the lines, he was still there, pretty much by himself, eating. We don't start running people out until about 7:00, but we go ahead and close up the lines at 6:30. He waved at me and I told him I'd see him in the morning at brunch."

"So he was in the lab until 6:00, and he was in the Dining Hall until at least 6:30, still eating. Tonya saw him in the library at 7:00. Doesn't give him much time to finish eating and go do anything, does it?"

"No sir, not that he'd do anything like this in the first place, nice as he is."

"So, Mr. Carpenter."

"Yes, sir?"

"You want us to believe that you just happened to have trouble concentrating in the library, and you just happened to go in the back door of the dorm instead of the front, and you just happened to see this girl in the dark corner of the courtyard. Then you took this abused and battered woman into your dorm room, with nobody else around, not to take advantage of her, but to protect her, out of the goodness of your heart. You called the police and EMS, telling them this fanciful and altruistic tale, and you come out smelling like a rose."

"First of all, I don't think anything happens just by chance. And I take issue with your tone and those last few statements as well. But in general that's what I'm saying. Is it so hard to believe that there really are a few nice people left in the world?"

"Let's say you're accounted for until 6:30. After you tell Mrs. Pearl bye, instead of eating, you dump your food and head back to the room. I'll be generous and say that takes 10 minutes. That's only 6:40. Tonya says she saw you around 7:00. That still gives you 20 minutes to grab a helpless young lady on her way to the dorms, attack her, and leave her for dead. Then you go make an appearance at the library, then go back to miraculously 'find' this girl and call 911, so you get the recognition for being a hero."

"Or, ... I could've stayed in the Dining Hall, finish my supper, put up my tray, and go to the library, getting there about 7:00 or so. Then I leave at 7:45. Around 7:50, 7:55 I'm going into room when I find this girl. I carry her into the room and call 911."

"Well, we'll let the jury decide which is more credible, your explanation and your alibi, which cannot be corroborated by anyone else, or her eye-witness account. No further questions, Your Honor."

Joshua steps down.

"You may call your next witness."

"Thank you, Your Honor. I now call Hannah Crosby to the stand."

"Ms. Crosby ... May I call you 'Hannah'?"

She nervously brushes a piece of hair back behind her ear and bites her lower lip. "Yes, sir."

"Hannah. I appreciate you sharing your testimony for us, and I know it had to be hard, so I'm not going to prolong this. I just have a few questions that your attorney didn't ask. We just want to make sure the police get the right man, so he won't harm you or anyone else again."

"I understand."

"Now close your eyes and concentrate. You were going over to meet your study partner. It's late. It's dark. You're alone. But you walk through the dark courtyard to the back ..."

"No, wait. I ... I remember. I went up to the front door because it was lit better."

"You went to the door. There was a Call Box there. Did you call him?"

"I ... I don't remember calling him ... I think, ... I was interrupted ..."

"What happened? Why did you stop?"

"Someone ... someone was already there, just inside the door, as if he knew I was coming, as if he was waiting for me. He ..." her entire body shivers.

"Take your time ..."

"He, pulls me inside. Roughly. I ask him what's going on, and he throws me into his room, onto the floor. I struggle. He ... he grabs me and hits me, and I ..." The attorney hands her a Kleenex.

"Please continue. Take your time ... You were on the bed ..."

"I was on his bed when I ... No, I was on the floor. That's right. And I was looking up at him, and I saw ... I saw him, standing there over me."

"And you can see him clearly."

"Yes." She nearly whispers.

"Who is he? What does he look like?"

She takes a deep breath. "It was ..." she looks over at Joshua. "He looked like ..." Her eyes probe his face. "Oh God." She puts a trembling hand up to her face. "I'm so sorry!" She runs off the stand toward Joshua, throws her arms around him, and sobs uncontrollably. In a muffled voice, she cries, "I was wrong! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I did this to you!"

Josh squeezes her tight, caressing the back of her head. "It's OK. It's OK. It's OK."

The judge bangs his gavel repeatedly, trying to calm down the crowd. "Young lady," she wipes her eyes and looks over at the judge. "Please come back to the stand and finish telling us what really happened." She complies.

"Your Honor, I apologize. I ... What I said earlier was true -- I do remember being in Joshua's bed. But he wasn't attacking me, he had a rag, wiping the blood and mud off of my face. I was attacked, and I was raped, but when that happened, I was on the floor. And when my attacker turned me over, that wasn't the first time I saw his face. I had already seen him before that -- when he opened the outside door and pulled me in. And I recognized him -- not Josh, but my study partner Richie!"

The crowd goes crazy. The judge's gavel finally silences them.

"Ms. Crosby, are you absolutely sure of this?"

"Yes, sir."

Her attorney speaks up. "In light of this testimony, we would like to drop the charges against the defendant."

The judge bangs the gavel. "Case dismissed."

Hannah rushes back over to Josh. "Will you ever forgive me?"

"Of course. It's OK. Here, I have a little present for you ..." He reaches under the table and pulls out a teddy bear.

"Is this the one ...?"

"Same one. I kept it, in case you changed your mind and wanted it later."

She hugs him and cries. After a while, they both dry their eyes and walk out together. The press is waiting for them. Several people ask them questions at the same time, yelling over each other to be heard. Joshua looks at Hannah. "Now they want my side of the story ..." He turns back to the crowd holds up his hand, and the crowd goes silent. "OK. I will say this once and only once, so please listen carefully.

"I am not upset by what has happened here since the events that night. Nor am I mad at Hannah. Do not forget -- she is the the victim here, not me. Sure, I was inconvenienced. I had to defend myself, to make sure the truth came out in the end. However, that is not a crime. That is due process of the law. Hannah had to endure not only the physical and emotional trauma of the assault, but the added trauma of having to re-live it daily, in the media, in the courtroom, and in her mind.

"The human mind is an amazing creation. It can remember some things with vivid detail, some things only in splinters, blocking out the bad parts it wants to forget. When hard-pressed, it will find a way to connect those splinters, make sense of them, usually by filling in things it only thinks it remembers. Sometimes, those connections are so strong, they're perceived as reality. When that happens, it takes some help and a strong, conscious effort to straighten it out.

"Thank you, for your time. And please, continue to remember Hannah in your thoughts and your prayers as she recovers. God bless you all."

With that, Joshua pushes through the crowd, walks Hannah back to her car, and they both drive off toward campus.