Chapter 10-The Note Of Explanations Pt.2

Jeremiah was released the next day as promised. But he was hostile one again. Zack tried to get him to draw but Jeremiah yelled at him. Cody tried to get him to talk but Jeremiah punched him in the arm. Carey tried to get him to eat or drink something but he just glared at her. They tried everything but he shut himself in the bathroom. Crystal, Max, Matt, Maddie, and Tapeworm stopped by to visit him but he wouldn't even give them the time of day. He just gave Matt a small smile that no one else saw then left the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Matt demanded.

"He got a note from someone while he was in the hospital," Carey responded.

"So. Someone wants him to get better," Max said as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

"But it wasn't from just 'someone'. It was from Sarah."

"Who?" Crystal asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Jeremiah's foster mother," Cody responded as he picked up some of Jeremiah's things off the floor. He stopped as he was getting ready to pick something up but looked at it. He wrapped his fingers around it and stuffed the object into his pocket.

"But I thought-"

"It's a long story. Basically, my mom had Jeremiah seven years ago. He was adopted by Sarah. Once she got him back she was in a mental asylum and she couldn't take care of him. Mom wanted him back so we adopted him."

"Jer, doesn't know it though," Zack finished with a nod.

"And I don't plan on him finding out unless I tell him. So no one say anything to him, ok?" Carey asked.

"Ok," everyone agreed.

Jeremiah slid down the door with his ear pressed against the wall. He shut his eyes and sighed as he rested his head against the door. He didn't know who to trust anymore. Carey or Sarah? Carey was nicer than Sarah was. But Sarah…she told the truth when she said she had his back…right? So why doesn't he just go back to the insane asylum, take her out, and live with her the rest of his life?

Because of the pain that's why. Too much pain would be brought upon him once again. And he did not want that. Not after what he had to suffer through before they got separated. He couldn't live through that pain twice, even if the second time was a bitter memory. It still hurt him.

But this hurt worse/

"HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME?" Jeremiah yelled as he kicked open the suite door, causing everyone inside to jump at the sudden entrance.

"Jeremiah," Carey started.

"HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO ME THIS WHOLE TIME?"

"Please. Just listen to me-"

"I LIVED WITH SARAH FOR SEVEN YEARS AND HAD TO GO THROUGH TORTURE FOR NOTHING?"

"Jeremiah, please stop!" Cody cried as tears spilled out of his eyes. "We know it must hurt, but we couldn't tell you before! You weren't ready to know! We didn't want you to find out about this in this way. We really didn't. But you were going to find out soon!"

Jeremiah just glared at everyone. For a seven-year-old, he could understand how Cody felt about this. He went over to the door and opened it. He muttered, "Could you guys leave, please?" They agreed and everyone except for the Martins left the room. After he closed the door, Jeremiah crossed the room to Carey's purse and pulled out the letter. "I can read part of it, just not the big words. Read it to me please?"

"Dear Jeremiah,

I heard about what happened to you and I wanted to know that you were ok. Daddy and I are worried about you. I'm getting better and I have my head now. So you know what that means.

Yeah, I'm getting you back, son. I told you I got your back. I know you were sent to live with that family with the twins. But they can't own you. You're my son and I will get you back. No matter what they say, you will come back with me and Butch and we will have the best time.

Won't that be fun? To be spending time with your mother and Butch again, just like the old days. We can take cross country road trips and see all of the sites and just get away from it all for a while. What do you say? I really want you back, bud. I miss you.

Sincerely,

Sarah McGwire

She can't take him back!" Zack exclaimed.

"What do you mean take me back? I was never taken in the first place…except by you."

"Confession time, mom," Cody said as he patted her on the shoulder. She sat on the couch, Zack and Cody on either side of her, Jeremiah on her lap.

"When Zack and Cody were seven I was pregnant with you, Jeremiah. I didn't want them to know and I didn't want my mother to know either so I took care of you for the next nine months until you were born. I couldn't keep you though, and that hurt me a lot. I named you Aaron before I gave you to the adoption agency. Soon after I sent you there, you were adopted and raised by Sarah McGwire. She was a bad girl and I knew it. I tried to stop you from going with her but she ended up winning her court case against me acting all pleasant. Once you were with her she revealed her true side and you had to experience how she lives first hand. Once she finally went to the Mental Institute in Vermont and they sent you to the one here, I decided to try and find you again. I didn't know it would be this easy to find you, but I'm glad it was. I wanted you to come and live with us, to try and make the pain of your past go away forever and for you to be happy again. That's why, when Sarah had to disown you, I adopted you so I could get my son back," Carey explained as Jeremiah listened intently.

"So…I really am your son?" Jeremiah asked slowly. "And…I'm really Zack's and Cody's brother?"

"That's right," Zack said as he ruffled Jeremiah's hair. "You're the brother we never had!"

"And we're glad you're here now," Cody added with his charming smile. Jeremiah matched it completely and leaned over and hugged his brothers. Carey wrapped her arms around all of them and started to tickle them. Jeremiah burst out in giggles and they all stopped to look at him.

"I've wanted to hear you laugh for the longest time," Carey muttered as she patted his head.

"Same here," Jeremiah agreed.

"123, 123, 123, 123," Cody muttered to himself as he danced around the suite later that evening. Zack was sitting on the couch and Jeremiah was at the table putting CDs into the boom box. They were dressed in their dance clothes a sparkly top that was either red, blue, or silver with a black tank underneath, black pants with red, blue, or silver running down the sides with glitter and dark shoes. It was finally time for the dance competition and Cody wanted to make sure he was ready.

"C'mon mom! We're going to be late!" Zack called from the couch.

"You boys will have to go without me," Carey said as she left the bathroom coughing. "I think I got a cold."

"Esteban told you specifically not to get sick," Cody said as he shook his head. "It's ok. We'll watch over Jeremiah. Bye mom."

"Have fun. Love you."

"Love you," Zack and Cody responded in unison as they followed Jeremiah out the door as he held onto the boom box. They rode the elevator down to the lobby and from there walked to the ballroom. Being the stage manager, Jeremiah rushed over to the contestant table and signed them all in. Then he went over and sat with the other stage managers that were around his age.

"Hi! I'm Megan. I represent the Hilton," she said as she smiled.

"I'm Tyler and I represent the Hamilton."

"I'm Kylie and I represent the Marriott."

"I'm Jeremiah." He said in his soft voice as he sat down at the table. "I represent the Tipton."

"All of you are going to lose to the St. Mark!" A boy said as he passed them and glanced smugly in their direction.

"That's Voltaire. He obviously represents the St. Mark," Kylie explained as she narrowed her eyes. "We all hate him. I don't understand what he has against all of the other hotels. We're just as good as he is!"

Jeremiah excused himself and went to find his brothers. He found them stretching and they had worried looks on their faces. He walked over and asked what was wrong.

"Our partners bailed on us!" Cody wailed. "Now we're going to lose this contest to the St. Mark!"

"What category were you in?" Jeremiah asked.

"We were in the tango category but that's for boy and girl couples. The only other one we can enter is the hip-hop/break dancing one. And we're not good for either," Zack responded. Jeremiah looked at them and slowly smiled. "Y'all are forgettin' somethin'. Leave everything to me and we'll do fine!"

Zack and Cody watched with growing nervousness as it got closer and closer for them to dance. London and Lance didn't do well in their section and neither did Mr. Moseby and his partner. Esteban replaced Maddie with Carey and they did really well. Now it was there turn and they had no plan. But Jeremiah did.

"Will the dancers for the hip-hop/break dancing category please cone to the floor!" The emcee said into the microphone. Zack and Cody took their places with Jeremiah in front of them.

"What do we do?" Cody hissed.

"Just smile and follow my lead! Y'all will fine!" Jeremiah responded with a confident smile. They waited patiently for each hotel to perform and finally it was their turn. Jeremiah nodded to the DJ and he pressed some buttons then the music started to play. Jeremiah started a hip-hop/break dance routine and Zack and Cody did the same to *NSYNC's Pop.

This must be, pop

Jeremiah, Zack, and Cody bowed and waved as everyone applauded. They talked excitedly to Maddie and Esteban as they waited for the judging. A girl in the corner was glaring at them with dark green eyes. Her black hair and black clothes helped her blend into the shadows so no one would recognize her. She was staring at Jeremiah so intently it should've felt like eyes were burning two holes into the back of his head.

It was Sarah McGwire…