Chapter 5

Rose walked into the hospital room, with all the equipment she needed to tend to the man with the burn injuries. She would need some help turning him so as not to injure the healing skin. She was a well-trained nurse. She had worked under Clara Barton in the civil war when she was only 16. Now at 40 and still unmarried, she cared for the wounded in a hospital with a specialty in burn care. In fact, she was the only nurse in Olympia who had this specialty and was often called in to care for burn patients either in their homes or hospital room.

Coming to the patient's bed she checked the name on the register: "Mr. Jason Bolt". He was somewhere in his 50's one might have considered him an old man, but he still had a strong body, and was handsome even with the burns to his neck and arms and one side of his face. She carefully unwrapped the bandages and took out the cleaning solution to clean his wounds. Wound care was important. If his wounds were not kept clean, he could become infected and die from the infection.

He moaned as she gently cleaned the wound flushing it with water and placing a fresh bandage with an ointment to help encourage new skin growth. She spoke to him gently as if to a friend letting him know that he would be okay.

"Jeremy, Josh," he said, his breathing a bit labored, "take the girls and to the dormitory…"

Rose knew he was delirious, so she continued to soothe him and talk to him. The doctor came in and asked her a question. When Jason heard the man's voice he called out:

"Father, mom is not doing well, what can I do to help? I know I need to take care of Jeremy and Josh, but how?" He started to reach out with his arms as if reaching for his father. The doctor, took his hands and said to him:

"There now Jason, you must move yet. You are not well."

"But Father, what do I need to do?" Jason said then Rose took his hands in hers and whispered soothing words and he calmed down a bit.

When the doctor left, Rose finished with the wound care and made sure he was clean and comfortable turning him on his side so that the pressure would not be in one spot. Taking one last look, she smiled and left the room.

After some discussion between Candy, Josh, Jeremy, Roland, and the rest of the family, it was decided that Jeremy, Candy, and Roland, would go to Olympia to see what needed to be done. There was a knock on the door and Roland went to answer it.

"Hello, Roland, is your father here?" Aaron said.

"Yes, come on in."

Roland showed him to the parlor and Aaron greeted the family.

"So, Aaron, why are you here? Said Josh with a bit of suspicion.

"Well Joshua, Jeremy, I came because I found out that something may have happened to Jason and I want to let you know if you need any help you can call on me.

"Aaron there really isn't anything that you can help us with now. Jeremy, Candy and Roland are going to go to Olympia to find out what happened and see if we can bring him back home." Joshua said.

"Joshua, my sister Julie has a house that you may want to stay at instead of spending money on a hotel. I heard that there had been a large fire in the Hotel Olympia a few days ago and there seems to be no other place to stay." Aaron said with some concern thinking maybe Jason had been in that fire.

Joshua and Jeremy looked at Aaron and thought about it for a moment. "Aaron, you think Jason may have been hurt in the fire. Because that is where he was staying this last time when he went to Olympia!" Joshua said with alarm in his voice. Jeremy looked at Candy, then Roland, he finally looked at Jason's son Jonathan! He saw the fear in his eyes as well as the determination that Jason used to have.

"Mr. Stemple, I mean Aaron," Jonathan started to speak, Aaron looked at him with some shock but soon realized that here was Jason's only child, his first-born son who was old enough and strong enough and almost the spitting image of his father but with dark brown eyes instead of blue. His hair was just like his father's hair, wavy with a lock of hair that hung down over his forehead. When he spoke, it was usually polite and quiet, however, he did have the same gift of gab that his father had and could talk anyone into anything.

Joshua started to speak but Jonathan interrupted: "Aaron, and Joshua and Jeremy, I would like to go to see if there is anything, we can do…"

Joshua said, "Okay, Jonathan, but who is going to run the logging operation while you are gone? I am only doing the books now and if Jeremy and Roland are gone, I think that you should stay. If he has been burned, he is not going to be well enough to see many people and Jeremy and Candy will be easier for him to see and can gather more information about what is happening. Later we can let you go visit your dad. Besides, you have a wife and three children, and they can't leave Seattle at this time."

Jonathan looked at his uncles and at Aaron Stemple. He knew that the logging operation needed someone who knew the operation well enough and knew the men and how to keep them working. He also realized that as the oldest of the Bolt children, it was his duty to stay and keep the operation going. As he thought these things, he looked around and saw three men, who were still strong and determined but who had already had their day helping to keep the logging operation going. It was his turn, he thought of his grandfather, Jonathan Bolt, who had three sons and then about his father who took the burden of raising his brothers after their parents had died. He thought of when his mother had died. He had cried, they were going to have a baby again. Jason had said that this was the third time, two babies already had died before this one came along. Jonathan was 10 at the time and was home when his mother went into labor, he had gone and gotten Lottie and Candy and then his father and uncles as well. When he got back, Lottie and Candy were crying. The baby was a beautiful little girl with blonde curls and blue eyes but when he had seen her, there was no life in her at all, all he could see was the glint of a star reflected in her eyes. He looked up to see that his mother was not breathing as well. He did not know what to do. When Jason and the men got there, there was such deep grief and sadness that Jonathan, had taken off running. He was gone for at least two nights. He hid up in a cave and hunted and fished and sat there in the cave. It was Jeremy who found him, and it was Jeremy who was able to talk him into coming back. He found out that his uncle Jeremy had something in common with him. His Uncle Jeremy's Mother had passed away as well.

When Jonathan returned to the present, he pursed his lips and with a determined looked said: "Okay, Uncle Joshua, I will stay, and we will keep this logging operation going. But on one condition, if my dad takes a turn for the worse, I want to go see him!"

Joshua looked at him and agreed. Aaron said that he would wire his sister to let her know that they were coming. Jeremy clapped Jonathan on his back and gave him a hug. Candy brought in some coffee and they all sat around making plans to go to Olympia or plans for the operation of the logging camp known as Bridal Veil Mountain.