Jeremy's True Love
"Jeremy! Where is Candy? Were you unable to rescue her, brother? I will go back with you. Joshua is feeling a lot better. Aaron can stay here with him." Jason said.
Jeremy had gone alone to Rock Canyon to rescue his kidnapped fiancé, Candy Pruitt from Rafe Holiday. Jeremy was returning alone, and Jason was frightened.
"Candy's alright, Jason. She wanted to go on home. She's on her way now." Jeremy said. He sounded exhausted.
"Jeremy, why didn't you go with her or talk her into camping overnight here? It's a long way back to Seattle. Aren't you worried that Holiday might follow her and grab her again?" Jason asked. "Not to mention how tired she must be. You look like your dead on your feet, Jeremy."
"D-D-Dead! W-W-Why did you say dead, J-J-Jason?" Jeremy stammered.
Jason was stunned. He couldn't remember the last time Jeremy stuttered. It had been a heartbreaking problem for him for many years, but he had overcome it after he met Candy.
"Take it easy, Jeremy. It's only a figure of speech. I'm sorry I upset you." Jason told him quietly.
"Well, I shouldn't have gotten upset. The last few days have been terrifying. I loved Candy so much." Jeremy said sadly.
"Loved?" Jason questioned. "Did you and Candy have a fight? Jeremy, something isn't right. Please talk to me."
"Oh, no, we didn't have a fight, Jason. It was just a slip of the tongue. I meant to say love. Everything is okay. Candy just wanted to get on back to town and I wanted to let you know that we are okay." Jeremy said. "You know how headstrong she can be."
"Yes, Candy can most definitely be headstrong." Jason smiled at his brother. But something was still nagging at him.
"How is Josh?" Jeremy asked.
Joshua had been stabbed by a knife in a booby trap set by Rafe Holiday.
"He's feeling better. He has some appetite. That's always a good sign for him." Jason answered. "How about you, Jeremy? Do you want some lunch?"
"No, thank you, Jason. I'm not hungry." Jeremy was getting off his horse. "OUCH!"
"Jeremy! What's wrong? Your leg is bleeding! What happened?!" Jason was getting more concerned.
"Holiday shot me in the leg. But I'm okay, Jason." Jeremy answered.
"He shot you?! Jeremy, you are not okay with a bullet in you. It has to come out. Aaron! Come take a look at Jeremy's leg, please!" Jason called out.
Aaron walked over to them. "What happened?"
"Holiday shot Jeremy in the leg. Jeremy, did Candy get hurt?" Jason asked.
"No, Jason. Candy didn't get hurt." Jeremy sighed.
"I really should examine your leg, Jeremy. A bullet wound has to be taken care of properly. You don't want to lose your leg." Aaron advised.
"No, Aaron. I wouldn't want to lose my leg." Jeremy said with a hint of sarcasm.
Jason and Aaron exchanged a look.
Aaron examined the bullet wound. "That bullet needs to be removed soon, Jeremy."
"Let's do it now and get it over with." Jeremy replied.
Aaron made the necessary preparations for the surgical procedure.
Jason gave Jeremy a flask of whiskey. He drank about one third of it.
Jeremy laid down on a blanket on the ground. Jason gave his brother a stick to bite.
"I'll hold you down, Jeremy. Don't be frightened. It will be over soon." Jason told him.
"I'm not scared, Jason. After today, I don't think I will ever be scared again." Jeremy said.
"Jeremy, are you sure that nothing happened between you and Candy? You don't seem like yourself." Joshua sat down on the ground close by.
"No, Josh. Candy and I didn't have a fight. I'm just tired, I guess, and this bullet hurts like blazes." Jeremy answered. "I'm glad you are better."
"We need to get started, Jeremy. I'm sorry we don't have any Laudanum." Aaron told him.
"That's alright, Aaron. I drank enough whiskey to get me through, I believe." Jeremy said. He put the stick between his teeth and bit down hard.
The pain of the procedure was excruciating. Jeremy almost bit the stick in two. He clawed the ground with his hands. Joshua sat down next to Jeremy and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"You're doing good, Jeremy. It will be over soon, Jason and I are right here, brother. We love you." Joshua encouraged.
As the pain intensified, Jeremy removed the stick from his mouth and began panting for breath.
When the pain had almost reached beyond what Jeremy was able to bear, he drew as deep a breath as he could and held it. Jeremy turned his head and looked into Joshua's eyes. Joshua was stunned by the agony he saw in his brother's eyes.
Jeremy closed his eyes. He turned his head away from Joshua.
When his threshold for pain was breached, Jeremy screamed, "CANDY! CANDY! OH, GOD! CANDY!" He lost consciousness.
"Jason! Jeremy passed out!" Joshua exclaimed.
"He is probably better off that way at least for a while, Josh. I'm worried. Something is wrong between Jeremy and Candy." Jason said.
"I agree, Jason. It doesn't make sense that Jeremy let her go back to Seattle alone especially after what happened with Holiday. Jeremy is usually so protective of Candy even when nothing has happened." Joshua replied.
"You're right, Josh. I'm going to ride up to Rock Canyon to see if I can get a clue as to what happened. It's not like Jeremy to lie to us either." Jason told his brother.
Aaron was examining Jeremy's leg. "The procedure went fine, Jason. I'm sorry the pain was so bad. It had to be done though. Infection could have cost Jeremy his leg."
"I agree, Aaron. Thank you for helping Jeremy. Will you keep an eye on him while I go to Rock Canyon, please?" Jason asked.
"Sure, Jason. Any idea what you'll find up there?" Aaron asked.
"I have no idea, Aaron. That just seems to be the logical place to start." Jason answered.
"Right." Aaron said.
Jason checked on Jeremy before he left. "Oh, sweet brother. What is it that you're not telling us and why?"
Jason left the campsite headed to Rock Canyon. He tried to hope that Jeremy was right about Candy being on the way home.
When Jason arrived at Rock Canyon, his worst fear was realized. He found Candy's body. She had been shot in the back. From what Jason could tell, Candy had probably been running down the hill to Jeremy. Jason found boot prints up and down the hill in the area close to Candy's body. There were also traces of blood from Jeremy's leg bleeding.
At the top of the hill, Jason found Rafe Holiday's body. He had also been shot in the back. The eldest Bolt tried to piece together what likely happened. After Jeremy was shot in the leg, Rafe Holiday was preparing to make his kill shot. Candy got Holiday's pistol and shot him in the back in an effort to save Jeremy. Then Candy ran down the hill trying to reach Jeremy. Before he died, Holiday managed to get off a shot striking Candy in the back.
"Dear God, Jeremy witnessed all of this. He saw Candy get killed." Jason said out loud.
Jason buried the bodies.
After burying Richard Holiday's remains, Jason said, "Good riddance to bad rubbish. May God have mercy on your soul."
As the oldest brother buried Candy's body, he sobbed. "The lovely Miss Pruitt. You were destined to become the beautiful Mrs. Jeremy Bolt until that barbarian showed up. We will never forget you, Candy. Thank you for loving Jeremy so much."
Jason recited the Twenty Third Psalm and said a prayer over Candy's grave. He made a cross marker for her grave.
Jason also made a marker for Holiday's burial site. Even though Jason hated the scoundrel, he thought it was the decent thing to do.
After resting for a while, Jason headed back to the campsite. On the way, he pondered what to do to help Jeremy. Had his brother simply been unable to tell them the horrific truth or had he blocked it from his mind? Jason feared the confrontation that had to take place.
When Jason arrived at the campsite, he talked to Joshua and Aaron. He told them about Candy and Holiday. Joshua told him Jeremy was still unconscious.
"What in the name of heaven are we going to do to help our brother, Jason? He is devastated. He hasn't even been able to acknowledge that Candy died." Joshua asked somberly.
"You're right, Joshua. I'm at a loss as to what to do for him. I suppose all we can do is to love him as much as we can and walk with him every heart wrenching step through his grief." Jason answered.
"It's going be a long hard journey." Aaron remembered when he grieved for Ellen.
When it was getting close to dark, Jeremy woke up. His brothers and Aaron were close by.
"Candy? Candy? Where are you, sweetheart?" Jeremy called out.
Jason and Joshua hurried to their brother.
"Jeremy, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Jason inquired.
"My leg hurts something awful. Where's Candy?" Jeremy asked.
"Jeremy, do you think you can sit up?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, I guess so." He looked around.
Jason and Aaron helped Jeremy get up from the ground. Joshua spread a blanket on a log for his brother to sit on.
When Jeremy was settled, Jason sat down beside him.
"Jeremy, I went to Rock Canyon earlier today. I know what happened to Candy and Holiday." Jason said gently.
"What are you talking about, Jason? Candy was on her way home the last time I saw her. She has probably been home for hours by now." Jeremy replied.
"I wish that was true, Jeremy. We both know Candy is not at home." Jason looked into Jeremy's eyes.
"Why do you want to hurt me, J-J-Jason? Why are you t-t-talking to me like this?" Jeremy gulped.
"I don't want to hurt you, Jeremy. But you have to face the truth. Candy's gone. She died." Jason choked up.
"No! Don't lie to me, Jason! Candy is in the dormitory at home. She….she….she….she's DEAD! She was murdered! She saved my life and that jackass murdered her!" Jeremy shrieked.
Jeremy got up from the log. It was difficult for him to stand on his wounded leg, but he managed.
"I can't live without her, Jason. There's no use to even try. Holiday wanted me dead. That's what started the whole thing. So I need to finish it." Jeremy pulled a pistol out of his pocket.
"Jeremy! Where did you get that gun?" Jason demanded.
"I took it out of Candy's hand after she died. She was killed instantly. I didn't get to say goodbye or thank her for saving my life. She almost made it to me, Jason, almost. If she had, I could have thrown myself over her and saved her. This was Holiday's gun. Candy killed him with it." Jeremy replied.
"Jeremy, Candy saved your life because she loved you. She lost her life protecting you. Now you don't want to dishonor her sacrifice by throwing your life away, do you?" Jason reasoned.
"I understand what you mean, Jason. But I can't survive without her. I have to remind myself to breathe sometimes it hurts so bad! Life doesn't hold anything for me without Candy. Our marriage will never take place. Our children will never be born. And it's just been one day! If I can't manage one day without her, how am I supposed to live a lifetime grieving for Candy?" Jeremy looked at the gun.
"Jeremy, you live by letting us help you. We will be there for you. If you need to cry or scream or talk or have us just sit and stare at the wall with you, we will. Please put the gun down, Jeremy. We can't make it without you." Joshua pleaded.
"What Josh said, Jeremy. We will do it anytime you need it for as long as you need. I promise. Brother, please put the gun down. It is scaring me out of my mind." Jason begged.
"I love you both with all my heart. Each of you would help me, I know. But no matter how much you love me, you can't feel the agony and the loss that I feel. Not to mention the guilt over my sweet girl losing her life for my sake. The nagging truth that I was supposed to save her will never leave my mind." Jeremy said sadly turning the gun over in his hand.
"Jeremy, I'm not part of the family so I don't have a say. But I can tell you from my experience when I lost Ellen, the feelings that you are having today are normal. But that doesn't mean they are true. You are not guilty of Candy's murder. Richard Holiday killed her. I understand that your plan was to save her. Circumstances made that impossible for you to do. On the other hand, circumstances allowed Candy to save your life. Jeremy, you did not fail her and one day you will be able to realize that." Aaron told him.
"Thank you, Aaron for trying to help. I appreciate it." Jeremy took a deep breath.
Jeremy hobbled over to a tree so he could lean against it. His leg was throbbing. He leaned on the tree and looked at Jason and Joshua.
"You both remember when I began stuttering after Mom died. The next year when I started school, some of the other kids would laugh at me for stuttering. Sometimes, I would stop talking for days on end you used to say, Jason. The reason I stopped talking was that I couldn't bear the pain of being laughed at or ridiculed. When I stopped talking, the pain ended for a while."Jeremy paused for a minute.
"The way I felt then is the way I feel now. The pain has to stop. I can't endure it. But for the pain of losing Candy to stop, I can't just stop talking, my heart has to stop." Jeremy looked at his brothers with tears streaming down his face.
Jason and Joshua were terrified as they watched Jeremy twirling the gun on his index finger.
"Jeremy, please put the gun down. If our help isn't enough, we will help you find a doctor or someone to help you. I'm sure Dr. Wright could help you find someone to talk to you about coping with grief." Jason pleaded.
"Jason, I don't want to cope with the pain. I want the pain to stop now." Jeremy said. He was still twirling the gun.
"Please, Jeremy! You know how much we love you! How can you hurt us like this?!" Joshua sobbed.
"I'm not trying to hurt you, Josh or you, Jason. I just need for my pain to stop. It is unbearable. You know how awful stuttering was for me. This is even worse." Jeremy's voice quivered. "I love you both."
Jeremy stopped twirling the gun. He put his finger on the trigger and raised it up to his….
"JEREMY! NO!" Jason and Joshua screamed.
"Oh, wow!" He woke up with a start. He sat up in the bed and covered his face with his hands. He had that nightmare again. He moved his hands and looked at Candy. His beautiful wife was sleeping peacefully next to him.
Suddenly, she stirred. Candy opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Oh, sweetheart! You had that nightmare again didn't you? That situation happened two years ago. You shouldn't still be having that awful dream. We are happily married just like we were meant to be." Candy gave him a little kiss on his shoulder.
"I still feel guilty. I wish I hadn't killed him." He looked at Candy with tears in his eyes.
"You know you didn't have a choice. Go back to sleep, darling." She told her husband.
"Give me a kiss, first." He smiled
Candy leaned toward her husband giving him a tender kiss on the lips.
"I love you, Richard." Candy said.
"I love you, Candy honey." Richard replied.
"Candy honey! Candy honey!"
"Jeremy! Why are you calling me Candy honey in your sleep?!" Candy exclaimed.
"What?!" Jeremy was startled awake.
"Oh, Jeremy! You had that horrible nightmare again didn't you? I'm so sorry I fussed at you. Are you alright, sweetheart?" Candy said tenderly.
"Yeah, I'm okay. That nightmare scared me though!" Jeremy sighed deeply. "That's the worst nightmare I have ever had."
" I'm sorry you were frightened, sweetheart. Did you have the whole dream or just part of it this time?" She asked.
"I had the whole thing except the part where he asks you if you are angry because he killed me. And you say no because I should have gone back to Seattle when you told me too." Jeremy took a ragged breath.
"Jeremy, you are trembling sweetheart. It's a dream. You are fine. I love you." Candy put her arms around him.
"I guess I'm being skittish. I know it's just a dream, but it is terrifying." Jeremy said.
"Maybe you should have killed him, Jeremy. I know that's not an a polite thing for a lady to say, but he certainly wasn't polite in the way he treated us." Candy told her husband. "Maybe if Holiday was gone, you wouldn't have that awful nightmare."
"It's over now, sweetheart. I'm alright. Go back to sleep." Jeremy kissed her lips softly. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Jeremy." Candy said sweetly as she laid her head on her pillow.
Jeremy laid awake and listened to Candy's breathing.
When her breathing was deep and even, he got out of the bed.
Jeremy went to the storage room. He unlocked a gun box that he kept behind some tools. Jeremy took the gun out of the box. He looked at the three notches on the handle of the gun.
Someday Jeremy would tell Candy how he ran into Richard Holiday in Port Angeles and killed him in self defense. Maybe the nightmare would stop then.
The End