Family Dispute Chapter Seven

Jason and Joshua Bolt stood on Maggie's Peak, the highest point on Bridal Veil Mountain. The last few days had been hell. After Joshua woke up and found that Jeremy had left the old cabin with the shotgun, he and Jason immediately went to search for their brother.

It didn't take them long to find him. Jeremy was lying on the wet ground by their parents' graves. The shotgun was beside him. Jason grabbed Jeremy from the ground. Joshua snatched up the shotgun. The two brothers ran as hard as they could back to the old cabin.

When they got to their former home, Doctor Wright and Big Swede were there. Jason hurried to place Jeremy on the cot by the fireplace.

Doctor Wright examined him. "Jason, Joshua, I'm so very sorry. It's too late. Jeremy is gone. His fever most likely spiked much too high. That plus the additional exposure to the cold and wet weather was just too much for his body to handle. The spike in his fever is what probably caused him to wake up and wander off. Again, I'm so sorry. "

Jason looked at the doctor. Her mouth was moving. However, the words she was saying made no sense. Her words sounded like a million bees buzzing around a beehive. Jason looked at Jeremy lying on the cot. He looked so cold. His skin was ashen. The oldest brother sat down in a chair by the cot. He picked up his baby brother's hand. Jeremy's hand was cold. Jason held the cold hand in both of his. He rubbed and rubbed the icy hand in his big warm sweaty hands. Jeremy's hand will warm up in a minute and he will be fine. Jason told himself.

The big lumberjack looked around for Joshua. He wanted to tell Josh that he was warming Jeremy's hand and when that was done, Jeremy would be alright. Jason didn't want Joshua to worry. He figured that Josh probably hadn't been able to understand the doctor either.

Jason looked around the room for his blond brother. He didn't see him anywhere. But Jason heard crying. Who was crying? He looked around the room again. Jason didn't see anyone crying. The people he saw looked stone faced but they weren't crying.

Jason looked at the cot again. He saw the most unusual sight he had ever seen. Joshua was on the other side of the cot, and he was lying across Jeremy and yes, Joshua was crying. That's why the sight was so odd to Jason. Joshua only cried when someone close died. Jeremy wasn't dead. So, why on earth was Joshua crying?

"Josh, please don't cry. I don't understand why you are crying. I'm warming Jeremy's hand in my hands. When his hand gets warm, he will be fine." Jason said.

Joshua continued to cry in gut wrenching sobs.

Jason tried again. "Now, Josh, I'm the oldest brother. I have been taking care of you and Jeremy since you were children. I would never let anything happen to Jeremy or to you. See, I'm rubbing Jeremy's hand. It's going to get warm anytime now and he will be just fine."

Joshua looked at Jason and cried harder. "Jason, Jeremy is dead. We lost him. He is gone."

Jason cocked his head as he looked at Josh. Now Joshua had those bees buzzing all around his mouth. Jason couldn't understand a word he said.

Jason kept holding Jeremy's cold hand in his. He massaged his little brother's hand nonstop. It would begin to warm up anytime now.

After a while, someone told Jason to go in the bedroom and lie down because he was tired. Jason protested because Jeremy was not warm yet. The person told him that someone else would help Jeremy get warm while he rested. Jason agreed to lie down. Doctor Wright came in the bedroom and gave him some strange tasting water to drink. She said he needed a drink of water. It was funny to Jason that the doctor didn't have the bees in her mouth when she said that. He understood her with no problem at all.

Jason laid down on the bed and went to sleep. Many hours later, he woke up. His first thought was that he had to find out if Jeremy's hand had gotten warm yet.

Jason got out of bed and went in the front room. The cot was gone. Jason looked for Jeremy all through the cabin. He couldn't find him.

"Lottie, where is Jeremy? I can't find him. His hand must have finally gotten warmed up, he doesn't need the cot any longer." The eldest Bolt said.

"Jason, sweetheart, you have to realize that Jeremy is in heaven now. He is not with us any longer." Lottie sobbed.

Poor Lottie he thought. Those awful bees are swarming around her mouth too. I have no idea what she said.

Still, Jason wondered where Jeremy had gone. He thought about it for what seemed to be a very long time. Then he remembered! Jeremy was in Tacoma! That's right, Jeremy had been planning to take the next buying trip to Tacoma. It was his turn. Jason felt so much better now that he knew where his baby brother was.

The next day was even stranger to Jason than the day before. Joshua, Candy, Lottie, Biddie, Aaron, Big Swede, Miss Essie, Corky, Clancy and Jason went out in the woods and buried a big box. Oh, the Reverend was there too. He did the oddest thing of all. Reverend Adams prayed over that box. The preacher might have been behaving so weird because at times, he had the bees in and around his mouth too.

After they buried the big box, they went back to the home place. Several people from town brought lunch for them to eat. Jason thought that was nice, but he didn't know why they did it. Who eats a fancy meal just because you bury a box in the ground?

The people stayed and visited about an hour after the meal. Lots of them sounded like they had bees in their mouths too. Jason decided that it must be a new virus that's going around. When he couldn't understand what somebody was telling him, he just smiled and nodded.

After the visitors left, Joshua and Jason took Candy and Lottie back to town. Clancy went with them. Aaron stayed at the cabin with a man and a woman that Jason didn't know. Joshua said they had some special plans with those two tomorrow.

"I love you, Jason. I love you, Joshua." Candy said when they arrived at the dormitory.

"We love you too, Candy." Joshua told her. "If you need anything, please let me know."

"I will thank you." Candy replied.

"Don't look so sad, Candy. Jeremy won't be in Tacoma forever." Jason told her.

Candy burst into tears and ran inside.

"Did I say something wrong, Josh?" Jason asked.

"No, Jason. She is just tired." Joshua answered.

The Bolt brothers said goodnight to Lottie and Clancy outside the saloon. Clancy was renting a room from Lottie for the night. He said he didn't feel like sleeping on his ship for the first time in over twenty-three years. When Jason asked him why, Clancy had the bees in his mouth.

Jason and Joshua went back up the mountain to the cabin. When they got there, Aaron and their guests were already in the bedroom. Joshua told Jason they needed to go to bed too. The brothers went to bed in their parents' old room. Joshua slept on the floor and let Jason have the bed.

Before they went to sleep, Joshua said, "I love you, Jason."

"I love you too, Joshua." Jason replied.

The two brothers went to sleep in a short time.

A few hours later, Jason woke up because he heard Joshua crying. Jason didn't know why Joshua had suddenly started crying so much. Most of the time when Jason asked him why he was upset, those awful bees started swarming again.

Well, Joshua was his brother and Jason was determined to help him. Just like he had helped Jeremy warm his hand so he could get well.

Jason got out of bed. He sat down on the floor next to Joshua.

"Why are you crying, Josh?" Jason asked him.

"I miss Jeremy." Joshua choked out the words.

"Well, now, Joshua, I can understand that. I miss him too. But these buying trips don't last forever. Jeremy will be home soon." Jason smiled.

"Whatever you say, Jason." Joshua sighed.

Jason Bolt went back to his bed satisfied that he had helped Joshua feel better.

Joshua lay awake a few hours and finally went back to sleep.

The next day, the brothers, Aaron, Suzanne Blackerby, and Marvin went to Maggie's Peak. Five went up to the peak but only three came down.

Two were left swinging from the highest tree on Bridal Veil Mountain.

As Jason, Joshua, and Aaron walked down the mountain, Jason asked, "Joshua, why did we do what we just did?"

"They owed us a debt and that was the only acceptable means of payment." Joshua replied.

Jason wasn't sure what Joshua meant. However, he was the one who kept the books and did the payroll, so Jason trusted that he knew what he was doing.

Before they went back to the old home place, Joshua wanted to stop by the spot where they had buried that big box yesterday. Joshua crouched by the area, and he had the swarming bees in his mouth.

"Jeremy, we took care of them. I know you wouldn't approve if you were here and I'm sorry for that. But Jeremy, I can't stop thinking if we had dealt severely with some of the others who tried to kill you, that might have discouraged these idiots, and you would still be here with us. We love you, Jeremy. You will always be in our hearts. Oh, my God! I can't do this! I can't do it! It takes every ounce of strength I have just to breathe! Come back, Jeremy! Come back!" Joshua fell on his face on the grave. He squalled his heart out.

Aaron laid down on the grave next to Joshua face down like Joshua and draped his arm over him. Jason wanted to help but he didn't know what was going on because of those pesky bees swarming around Joshua's mouth.

When Joshua calmed down, the three men proceeded to the mountain cabin. Joshua and Aaron packed up their belongings from home and they went on their way to Seattle.

When they arrived in town, Jason and Joshua stayed home to rest. Aaron went on his way telling them he would see them soon.

Early the next morning, Clancy was setting sail for San Francisco. Jason and Joshua walked to the dock to see him off.

"Good morning, Clancy!" Jason said in his booming voice as he flashed his big bright smile.

"Good morning, Jason. Good morning, Joshua." Clancy responded. "What brings the two of ya out so early?"

"Clancy, I want you to do us a big favor." Jason said. "The next time you sail this old tub of yours into Seattle, Clancy, I want you to make sure that Jeremy is aboard. I want you to bring him back to us, Clancy. He can't stay gone forever. Joshua and I are missing our baby brother something terrible. We want him back, Clancy. We want him back." One huge tear rolled down Jason's cheek as he looked past Clancy at the horizon.

The End