For The Love of Jeremy Bolt Chapter Seven update
When Jason reached the door, Jeremy was holding a shotgun on the carriage driver. The driver had his hands up.
"Jeremy, where did you get the shotgun?" Jason asked.
"I keep it in the closet here by the door. I take it to the door if I don't know who is at the door." Jeremy explained.
"Sir, I don't mean you any harm. The lady wanted to come here. She is looking for Jason Bolt. Is that you, sir?" The driver asked nervously.
"No, Jason is my brother." Jeremy tilted his head toward Jason.
"Yes, I am Jason Bolt. May I ask which Miss Box is in your carriage?" Jason inquired.
"Her name is Miss Liza Box, sir." The young man answered.
"Are you sure she is Liza Box?" Jason asked sternly.
"That's what she told me, Mr. Bolt. May I put my hands down now?" The driver grimaced at the pain in his shoulder.
"NO!" Jeremy exclaimed. "You leave your hands up. How do we know that you're t-t-telling the t-t-truth?"
"My brother's right." Jason said narrowing his eyes at him. "Josh! Bring me your pistol, please!"
Joshua ran to the door. He took his gun from his pocket.
"Hold your pistol on the driver, Josh. Jeremy, give me your shotgun. I'm going to go see which Miss Box wants to pay me a visit." Jason told his brothers.
Joshua and Jeremy did as Jason asked.
Jason approached the carriage with great caution. If Laura was in this carriage, he knew without a doubt that he would kill her before he would let her lay a finger on Jeremy.
"Put your hands up! I'm going to open the carriage door. If you are Laura Box and your hands are not up, I will kill you! That's a promise! You are not getting your hands on Jeremy again!" Jason shouted.
"Jason! It's me, Liza! What do you mean Laura's not getting her hands on Jeremy again?" Liza asked.
Jason opened the door to the vehicle carefully. Pointing the shotgun inside the door, he looked in. Jason sighed in relief.
"Hello, Liza. It's been a long time." He smiled at her as he put the gun down.
"You're right, Jason. It has been a very long time." Liza replied.
Jason took her hand and helped her out of the carriage.
"Jason, please answer my question about Jeremy and Laura. Does that mean you found Jeremy's remains?" Liza asked.
Jason beamed at Liza. "No, it means that Joshua and I found Jeremy! Our brother is alive!"
"Oh, Jason! When? How? That is so wonderful!" Liza exclaimed.
"We found him today here in New Bedford at the fire department." He told her.
"Today?!" Liza was stunned. "Isn't it an amazing coincidence that I find you the same day you find Jeremy?"
Jason's smile faded fast. "Is it a coincidence, Miss Box?"
"Jason Bolt! I know it has been many years since we have seen each other. But after all we meant to each other at one time, how can you doubt me?" She was incredulous.
Jason sighed. "It's not that I doubt you, Liza. It's that I wasn't cautious enough about Jeremy years ago and I lost him, and he suffered horribly."
"I'm so sorry. Jeremy wasn't here in New Bedford the whole time?" She asked.
"No, Liza. Jeremy has been here for five years. The previous five years, he was crimped on a ship." Jason looked at her mournfully.
Tears formed in Liza's eyes. "Oh, dear God! Laura has no soul. To crimp an eight-year-old child on to a ship."
Jeremy called out, "J-J-JASON? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Jeremy! Everything is fine!" Jason answered. "Come on, Liza. Let's go inside."
Liza ran to the house to see Jeremy. The brothers let the driver go with apologies for frightening him. Jeremy explained that he was kidnapped as a child and now they were overly cautious regarding his safety. The young man said he understood.
"Jeremy! I am so happy to see you! It is wonderful that you and your brothers are back together." Liza smiled at him.
"Yes, I'm very grateful that I have my brothers in my life again. It's nice to see you, Miss Box." Jeremy said trembling. He looked at the floor.
"Jeremy…..." Liza said slowly. "I owe you a huge apology for what my cousin did to you. I know that saying I'm sorry doesn't change what happened. But I am very sorry, Jeremy. I hope you can forgive me."
Jeremy looked at her. "Miss Liza, I'm not angry at you. You aren't responsible for what she did. When I say your last name, it unnerves me because it makes me think of the kidnapper."
"Come inside, Liza." Jason said.
She glanced at Jeremy. "Is it okay for me to go in your house?"
"Yes, Miss Liza. Come in. You are welcome here." Jeremy replied.
"Thank you, Jeremy." Liza stepped inside the house.
Everyone went into the parlor. The introductions were made. All of them sat down.
After a few minutes of chit chat, Candy said, "I hope you won't think I'm being rude, but I need to go upstairs to rest for a while and I need Jeremy with me. Sometimes I can't rest well if he isn't there. Everyone, please make yourselves at home. There is lots of food in the kitchen. Help yourselves to anything you want. There is plenty of coffee and tea.
Also, everyone is invited to stay with us while you are here in New Bedford. We have plenty of room. We won't take no for an answer." Candy told everyone. "I realize we just had a long nap, but for some reason, I need more rest."
"Thank you, Candy. That's very kind of you and Jeremy. Joshua and I will be glad to stay here. Have a good rest." Jason replied.
"I will consider your kind invitation,Candy." Liza answered.
Candy and Jeremy nodded at her and went upstairs to their bedroom.
Jeremy almost collapsed on the bed. "Thank you, sweetheart! I am so tired! Thank you for not telling them that talking about the past wears me out. Then to have that scare with Miss Liza on top of it!"
"You are welcome, my darling. I could see that it was wearing on you. Let's get undressed and lie down."
Candy took her dress off. She had on her pantaloons.
Jeremy took off his pants and shirt. He was wearing his long johns.
They laid down on the bed. They were quiet for a few minutes.
Candy turned her head toward her husband. "Jeremy, I love you so much. I would take away all of your pain if I could. You know that don't you?"
"Yes, I know, sweetheart. You are doing a great job of loving the pain away. Please keep loving me." He replied tenderly.
"I will." Candy said as she laid her head on his shoulder. Jeremy put his arm around her. They went to sleep.
Jason, Joshua, and Liza went to the kitchen. They sat down at the table.
Joshua shook his head and sighed. "Jeremy is having a really hard time, Jason."
"Well, I agree that it was hard for him to talk about the past. Other than that, I think he is doing pretty well. What do you think, Liza?" Jason questioned.
"Jason, I think I am a painful reminder of the terror your brother endured. The look on his face when he said the name Box said it all." She looked grim.
"Yes, but Jeremy remedied that by calling you Miss Liza instead." Jason replied. "It's only natural that Jeremy will have difficulty talking about what happened for a while."
"Jason, it has been five years since our brother got off that ship. Does it take that long to recover from it?" Josh frowned.
"Something else is on your mind, Josh. What is it?" Jason leaned his chair back on two legs and looked expectantly at his brother.
"Alright! I want Jeremy and Candy to go home to Seattle with us. I'm afraid Jeremy won't go because he will be wary of being on a ship for six months." Joshua choked up. "I can't lose him again, Jason. My heart can't take it."
Jason looked at Joshua for a long moment. "Well, I hadn't thought about that, Josh. If Jeremy doesn't want to go home on the ship, he and Candy could take the train."
"I suppose so, Jason. What if Jeremy doesn't want to go back to Seattle?" Joshua looked forlorn.
"I seriously haven't considered that possibility, brother. Hopefully, Jeremy will want to go home. He loves us and I don't believe he will want to be separated from us forever." Jason said.
"I hope you're right, Jason." Joshua replied.
"I hope so too, Josh." Jason stood up. "Would you like to go for a walk, Liza?"
"Yes, I would like that very much, Jason." She answered.
Two weeks went by. Jason and Joshua had found almost enough young women willing to relocate to Seattle. They were in the process of finding a ship to transport the ladies. Jeremy had told his brothers that he and Candy wanted to go with them to Seattle. The young couple would live there for the rest of their lives. Jason and Liza had rekindled their romance. Liza would return with them to Seattle as well.
One night after supper, the three brothers sat on the porch. Candy and Liza were cleaning the kitchen.
"Jeremy, Josh and I have been thinking that perhaps you and Candy would like to travel to Seattle by train." Jason told him.
"WHAT?! No, Jason! No! I want to be with you and Joshua on the ship. I c-c-couldn't b-b-bear to be s-s-separated f-f-from you for six months!"
Jeremy looked hurt.
"Take it easy, Jeremy." Jason said quietly. "We were just thinking that going by train would be easier for you. But if you don't agree, it's fine for you and Candy to go with us on the ship."
"Well, then it's settled. We are going on the ship. I have had enough of being separated from you two." Jeremy grinned.
Two more weeks went by. Jason and Joshua found one hundred young women. Jason signed a contract with Captain R.F. Clancy to transport the ladies to Seattle.
Finally, the day came. The Bolt brothers helped the Brides board the Shamus O'Flynn for the journey to their new home. The ship was not the best. It was actually a mule boat. That fact was carefully hidden from the ladies.
When the brides discovered their mode of transportation, they demanded to return to New Bedford. Jason talked them out of it using a combination of charm and shame.
Jeremy was doing fine on the ship for the first few weeks. One night at supper, Joshua was sitting next to Jeremy.
"Jeremy, you have several corn muffins on your plate. May I have one?" Joshua asked as he reached for one of them.
"GET YOUR OWN! I ONLY SHARE MY FOOD WITH BILLY!" Jeremy screamed slapping Joshua's hand hard.
"Josh, I apologize! I don't know what got into me. Of course, you can have a muffin." Jeremy cringed as he handed his brother a corn muffin.
"That's okay, Jeremy. Thanks for the bread." Joshua said calmly.
"I'm sorry, everybody, excuse me." Jeremy said as he got up from the table.
Jason and Joshua looked at each other as Jeremy left the galley. Jason got up to follow the youngest brother.
Jeremy was on the deck standing by the railing. There was a full moon. The night air was getting cold.
"Jeremy, would you mind some company?" Jason asked.
"No, Jason. I don't mind. Listen, I'm sorry for the way I behaved in there. It won't happen again." Jeremy answered.
"You don't have to apologize,Jeremy. However, I want you to talk to me. I'm worried about you, brother. Josh is worried too."
"I don't know where to start." Jeremy's pain was evident on his face.
"Let me try to help you. Who is Billy?" The oldest brother asked.
Taking a deep breath, Jeremy explained. "Billy was another boy on one of the ships I was on. We were the same age, and we became friends. Billy and I stuck close to each other. It helped to have someone to talk to and to get through the days and nights with. One day, I realized that Billy was sick. I helped him with some of his work to make things a little easier for him. I would have done all of it for him, but that would have gotten both of us into serious trouble. And they would have separated us. Neither Billy nor I wanted to be apart. We were all each of us had."
Jeremy was quiet for a few minutes as he remembered his friend.
Jason put his strong arm around his brother giving him a squeeze.
"That night," Jeremy's voice quivered. "Billy was sicker. All we had to eat was a little gruel. I knew Billy had to have more than that. Somehow, late that night, I made my way to the galley. I opened the galley pantry. There were all kinds of good food. I grabbed some fried chicken and some corn muffins.I found some cups and I got us some milk. There were some tablecloths that were thicker than the ragged old blankets we had. I got two of those. When I returned to Billy, he was so happy to see some real food that he cried." Jeremy gulped.
Jeremy gripped the railing tightly. He was breathing hard with tears pouring down his face.
Joshua came out on to the deck. He moved to the railing and stood on the other side of Jeremy.
Jeremy took several deep breaths to calm his breathing. He glanced at his brothers on either side of him. Then he looked out over the water.
"Can you imagine," Jeremy said, his voice cracking, "being so hungry that the sight of decent food makes you cry!?"
Jeremy slumped against the railing. His brothers caught him in their arms and held him between them.
Jeremy cried bitter angry tears as his brothers held him close. How he wished that Billy could have known this feeling of being safe and loved.
When Jeremy's crying ended, he remained in his brothers' embrace for a few minutes. "Have I ever told you how much I love you both and how blessed I am to have you for my brothers?" His breathing was ragged.
"I believe you have mentioned it to us once or twice." Jason teased as he rubbed his brother's back.
"Yes, you have told us lots of times, Jeremy. We love you too, baby brother." Joshua said hugging him tightly.
"Josh is right, Jeremy, we…love…." Jason buried his face in Jeremy's hair and cried.
Joshua and Jeremy comforted their brother as he wept. When Jason's tears ended, the three brothers said good night and went to their rooms.
A few weeks passed. Jeremy was doing well being on the ship. The brides had adjusted to life at sea.
Jason and Liza got engaged again. Joshua, Jeremy, and Candy were excited and happy for them. Jason tried to talk Liza into letting Captain Clancy marry them. Liza wanted a church wedding in Seattle.
After a few more weeks went by, Jason won her over. Liza agreed to getting married on the ship.
It was a small, lovely ceremony. Joshua was the Best Man. Jeremy gave the bride away. Candy was the Matron of Honor. Mr. and Mrs. Jason Bolt were a gorgeous joyful couple.
After the wedding, life onboard the Shamus O'Flynn was pleasant and routine for a while. Then a Pneumonia epidemic broke out. Several members of the crew came down with it. A few of the brides contracted the illness.
As the epidemic continued, Jeremy and Liza caught it. Clancy made an unscheduled stop at a port in Mexico in an attempt to purchase more sulfur medication. He was only allowed to have a small amount of the medication since the epidemic was raging in that city.
Jeremy had a dangerously high fever. Candy, Jason, and Joshua took turns wiping him down with cold cloths.
"Candy, why do I have to stay in bed so much? I don't feel so bad. I wanna get up." Jeremy complained.
"Jeremy Bolt! You stay in that bed! You felt bad last night when your temperature was 106 degrees. Honestly, I don't know how you are so alert today. I'm glad you are alert; I just don't know how it happened so fast after such a high fever." Candy said.
"I'm a fast healer. It's a Bolt trait." Jeremy smiled.
"Well, I have seen your other Bolt traits. The ones called nausea, vomiting, and splitting headache. You stay in that bed, mister!" Candy demanded. "I need to go see how Liza is doing. She has Pneumonia too. I will be back soon." Candy told him.
"Don't I get a kiss before you go? Gimme a kiss. Just one little bitty ole kiss." Jeremy giggled.
"You still have a fever! You never giggle!" exclaimed Candy.
"I'm starved for love! Kiss me and make me better!" Jeremy grinned.
"They must have put something other than sulfur in that medication that Clancy bought in Mexico." Candy gave her husband a kiss on his cheek. His face was hot with fever. "I'll bring you some tea when I come back. Now rest, please. I love you."
"Okay. I love you too." Jeremy replied.
After his wife left the room, Jeremy tried to go to sleep. When that didn't work, he tried to lay there in bed and rest.
Jeremy soon got tired of resting. He decided to get up. Yes, he had told Candy he would rest. He kept his word. He rested until he didn't want to do it anymore. Now it was time for him to get up.
Jeremy got out of the bed. He had on his long night shirt, so he didn't get dressed or put on his boots.
"Where can I go?" Jeremy said out loud. "I know! I can go up on the deck to get some fresh air."
He opened the door and looked out in the hallway. There was no one out there. Jeremy crept quietly down the hall.
When he got to the stairs leading to the deck, he climbed them very carefully. When Jeremy was halfway up the stairs, he felt dizzy. He stopped for a minute. The dizziness went away. I can make it, he thought. The fresh air will make the dizziness better.
As Jeremy got to the top step, another wave of dizziness came upon him. He reached for the handrail and missed it.
Jeremy tumbled all the way to the bottom of the stairs. He landed with a loud crash.
Joshua was in Liza's room with Jason and Candy. When he heard the crash, Joshua ran hurriedly to the stairs.
"Oh, blazes! Jeremy!" Joshua shouted as he knelt down by his brother.
"J-J-Josh? Help me please!" Jeremy was trying to get up.
"Wait, Jeremy! Not so fast! Be careful, you might have broken something. Did you hit your head?" Joshua held on to his brother as he got up.
"I don't think so. It happened so fast that I'm not sure." Jeremy answered.
"Let me help you back to your room, Jeremy. Why were you trying to get up on the deck anyway? You should be in bed. Your fever was way too high last night." Joshua scolded.
"I wanted some fresh air. I was bored in my room." Jeremy said.
Joshua and Jeremy made it back to Jeremy's room.
"Now rest, baby brother!" Joshua demanded.
"Don't call me baby brother!" Jeremy scowled.
Jeremy went to bed and went to sleep.
Joshua left headed back to Jason's room.
About an hour later, Candy returned to their room. Jeremy was not in the bed. Candy shook her head and went to find him.
Candy looked all over the ship. She asked Clancy and some of the crew if they had seen Jeremy. None of them had seen him today.
After searching for over an hour to no avail, Candy went to Jason and Liza's room.
"I'm worried. I can't find him and no one I asked has seen him. Where could he be?" Candy was on the verge of tears.
"He tried to go up on the deck earlier and fell down the stairs. Maybe you should look there." Joshua told her. "I'll go with you.
Candy and Joshua went up on the deck. They walked the length of it. Jeremy was not there.
His family had no way of knowing where he was at that time. Jeremy was in the back of the huge walk-in pantry crouched down in the dark. Jeremy was terrified because Billy had threatened to kill him.
There was something else that Jeremy's family didn't know. Billy was dead. He died when he and Jeremy were ten years old.