Bridal Veil Mountain: A Tale of Three Brothers Chapter Three
"Drop that knife or I'll kill you!" Doctor Wright screamed as she ran into Jeremy's room with her shotgun.
Bennett dropped the knife on the floor and put his hands in the air. "Don't shoot me!"
Doctor Wright walked over to Johnny Bennett still pointing the shotgun at him. "Move!" She told him motioning toward the door.
Bennett did as he was told. The doctor kept her eyes and her gun on him. "Jason, will you take Mr. Bennett to the jail, please?"
"Yes. I will." Jason answered from the pile of Bolts on the bed.
Jason and Joshua had thrown themselves across Jenny and Jeremy. Jenny had thrown herself across Jeremy's chest and she had grabbed her brother's burnt arm in an effort to keep it out of Johnny's reach.
The two older brothers got up. Jenny sat up. Jeremy was moaning in pain as he tried to move his damaged arm.
"Jeremy! Are you alright?" Jenny tried to help him move his arm very carefully.
"My arm is throbbing, but I'm okay." He gasped. "Thanks everyone for protecting me."
"Jeremy, are you sure you're alright? I'm going to take Bennett to the jail, and I will be right back." Jason asked.
"I'm sure, Jason. Josh, please go with Jason. He might need help with Johnny Bennett. Jenny and Doctor Wright are here with me." Jeremy told his brothers.
"Sure, Jeremy. I was thinking that too." Josh replied. "We will be quick."
"Come on, let's go." Jason grabbed Bennett's arm.
Joshua got hold of the thug's other arm and helped Jason lead him out of the room on their way to the jail.
Aaron was at the jail when the two brothers arrived with Johnny Bennett. The Bolts told him what happened. Aaron arrested Bennett and locked him in the cell. Aaron said Judge Terry would be in town next week.
Jason and Joshua returned to the clinic. They sat with Jeremy for several hours. Jenny was still there. Candy came in about an hour after Bennett tried to attack Jeremy. She was very upset when she was told about the incident. Jeremy had fallen asleep. He slept fretfully moaning and clutching his chest often as if he was in pain.
Candy sat on the side of the bed stroking Jeremy's hair. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here." She looked worriedly at him.
When Jeremy clutched his chest, Candy clasped his hand. He griped her hand in return. Candy moved their intertwined hands away from Jeremy's body. She placed her free hand on his chest.
"Doctor Wright, Jeremy's heart is pounding. It's no wonder he's not sleeping well." Candy said.
"Let me examine him just a minute, Candy." Doctor Wright walked over to the bed.
The doctor listened to Jeremy's heart. "His heart rate is a little fast, but he is alright, Candy." She said. "I am sure that he is agitated from that awful incident earlier this afternoon."
"Well, Doctor Wright if you say Jeremy is okay, I'm sure he is. It's just that I worry about him especially when he is sick or injured or someone tries to kill him!" Candy wailed.
Doctor Wright put an arm around Candy. "Yes, that was terrifying, and Jeremy has certainly had more than his share of death threats and close calls. He really is alright, Candy. You know I always tell you the truth."
"Yes, you do, Doctor, and I believe you. I just get so scared." Candy started biting her nails.
Doctor Wright patted Candy's shoulder and left the room. She nodded at Jeremy's siblings as she went out.
"Candy, I'm sorry! It's my fault! I never dreamed that Johnny would come here looking for me. If I had known that I wouldn't have come back." Jenny apologized.
"Jenny, you don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. You have every right to come home to see your brothers. You and they spent too many years apart for you to even think that you shouldn't have come back." Candy told her.
"Thank you, Candy. You are very kind. I can understand why Jeremy loves you so much." Jenny replied.
"Well, I can say the same about you too. When this fellow gets better, you and I must have lunch together." Candy told her.
"Yes, let's do that." Jenny agreed.
"Jenny, why don't you lie down in one of the other rooms and take a nap, sweetie? You have got to be tired from your journey and everything that's happened today." Jason suggested.
"Oh, no, Jason. I can't leave Jeremy or you or Josh. I have waited so long to see you and be with you, I just want to spend every minute I can with all of you." Jenny frowned.
"Well, Jenny, let's you and I sit in this double chair, and you can rest against me if you want to." Jason offered.
"Yes, let's do that. Thank you, Jason." Jenny smiled.
Jason and Jenny sat together in the double chair. Jason put his arm around her. Before long, Jenny's head was on her brother's chest.
"Bah dum, bah dum, bah dum," Jenny murmured. "Jason, I can hear your heartbeat. It makes me feel safe and loved." She whispered as she went to sleep.
"You are safe and loved, precious girl." Jason kissed her hair.
Several weeks went by. Jeremy's arm was healing well. Doctor Wright released him with strict instructions that he was not to even think of returning to work until she approved. Jeremy agreed. Joshua told Doctor Wright that he would sit on Jeremy if he even talked about going to work before, she gave him permission. Doctor Wright instructed Jeremy that if he visited the logging camp, he must remain inside one of the tents during the visit. Jeremy assured her he would comply.
Jenny quit her job as a teacher. She continued to rent her room from Lottie until her oldest two brothers built her a room onto their cabin along with her own washroom.
Jeremy and Jenny spent nearly every day together during his recovery. Jenny made sure that Jeremy ate and rested enough. They had long talks about what their lives apart had been like. Jenny cried when Jeremy told her about being ridiculed for stuttering as a child and about how he would stop talking for days on end as Jason described it.
Jeremy saw Doctor Wright regularly for checkups. The doctor was pleased with how his arm was healing and the fact that the Irritable Heart Syndrome was getting better.
Jenny spent a few days helping the brides give the dormitory a good over all cleaning so that Candy could spend some time with Jeremy.
The next week, Jeremy and Jenny rode up to the family home place in the buckboard. Jenny wanted to see the cabin and Mama and Dad's graves.
The Bolt twins stood inside the old cabin. "This is where my family lived." Jenny looked around.
"Yes, this is it. We didn't have a lot, Jenny, but we had enough, and we had each other." Jeremy gazed sadly at his sister. "Except we didn't have you, Jenny." He whispered.
"We missed so much time together, Jeremy. I regret that terribly. But there's nothing to be done about it. We can only make the most of being together now." Jenny said sadly.
"That's right, Jenny. I agree." Jeremy told her. "Would you like to walk up to Mama's and Dad's graves now?"
"Walk? Are you sure you should do that, Jeremy? Maybe we should take the buckboard." Jenny was concerned.
"No, let's walk. I'll be fine. The doctor was very happy with my progress last week, remember?" He asked.
"I remember. You don't need to run a race just because of a good report from your physician. You are still recovering." She answered.
Jeremy grinned. "I'll be okay. Let's go, dear sister."
"Alright, brother, you're the boss." Jenny smiled too.
The twins put their arms around each other's waists as they walked to the gravesite. On the way, Jenny picked some wildflowers to put on the graves.
When they got there, they were quiet for a few minutes. They sat on the ground after Jenny had placed the flowers on the burial sites.
"Jeremy, please tell me about our parents." Jenny requested.
Her twin brother sighed as he ran his fingers through the grass. "Dad was a lot like Jason. Big and strong with a booming voice, hardworking, loyal, opinionated sometimes, but always loving and ready to help anyone. Dad had dark hair and blue eyes. Jason and the two of us look like him. Josh looks like Mama. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Mama was beautiful. She was quiet and soft spoken until she got angry.
"More than once, Jason, Joshua, and I heard her tell Dad, "I'll kick ye arse to Oregon, I will, Johnny Bolt, if ye don't do as I'ma tellin ye!" Jeremy laughed. "Don't tell that around, Jenny. Mama only said that at home on very rare occasions. That's the only bad word Mama ever uttered."
Jenny laughed as well. "Don't worry. I won't repeat it."
Suddenly, the mood changed as the siblings looked at their mother's grave. Jenny put her arms around her brother.
"Jeremy, you're thinking about when Mama died aren't you?" She asked gently.
He didn't speak for a few moments. Jeremy frowned as he ran his fingers through the grass. "Yes, I am." He looked up at Jenny his face wet with tears.
Jenny hugged her brother close. "I wish I had been here to help you through it. Maybe it wouldn't have been quite so hard. Of course, you had Jason, Josh, and Dad. I know they helped all they could."
"Yes, they helped a lot, and they said I helped them. Dad would have me sleep with him lots of nights because he said I had her scent. Mom always had a slight scent of lavender perfume. It was her favorite. Dad told me that because I was with her all the time, I had absorbed her scent. He said he could sleep easier if he could smell just a little bit of lavender." Jeremy explained.
"I love you, Jeremy." Jenny was crying.
"I love you, Jenny. Why are you crying? Did I upset you?" Her twin asked.
"No, it's just that hearing you talk about Mama and Dad makes me miss them even more. I asked you to tell me about them so it's on me not you. Don't feel bad, Jeremy." Jenny answered.
"Alright, I didn't mean for you to feel sad though." He gave her a squeeze.
The twins smiled at each other. Both of them looked down the trail as they heard horses approaching. Jeremy figured it was Jason and Joshua. Jason had said earlier that they would meet them here later.
When the horses came into view, Jeremy saw that it wasn't their brothers. It was two strangers. Jeremy and Jenny got up from the ground quickly.
"Hello, I guess you two are some of them Bolts who live around here aren't ya?" The tall husky man asked as he got off of his horse.
"Yes, we are. Who are you?" Jeremy asked sternly.
"Us? We are friends of your sister's husband. He sent us to fetch her." The other man said as he dismounted his horse. He was short and stocky. His face looked like it had been used as a punching bag.
"My sister no longer has a husband. She isn't going with you." Jeremy stated.
"It's not up to her. Or you either." The husky man said as he came toward them.
"Jeremy, be careful!" Jenny was scared.
The two men jumped on Jeremy each one throwing fast punches to his face and upper body. Jeremy managed a few good punches in return with his right arm. When he tried to throw a punch with his left injured arm, pain shot through it bringing Jeremy to his knees.
Even though Jeremy was no longer fighting, the two strangers kept pummeling him. The stocky man grabbed Jeremy's burned arm and twisted it behind his back. Jeremy screamed in pain. Jenny screamed in anger.
"Let him go! Stop! I'll do whatever you want! Let him go!" She shouted.
"No Jenny! You can't go with them! They can take me!" Jeremy yelled.
"We only want the young lady. We haven't got any use for you, buddy. Except it's fun to beat on you," the husky man said.
The stocky thug punched Jeremy a hard blow in the jaw knocking him unconscious.
Jenny ran to her brother. "Jeremy! Jeremy!"
"Come on, you have to go with us!" The husky man barked. "Your brother will be alright."
The two strangers pulled Jenny away from Jeremy and tried to make her get on one of the horses. She resisted.
"We can't leave him here like this. Our old family cabin is right on the way to town. Please take Jeremy there so he won't be out here exposed to the weather. I'll go peacefully with you if you do that for him." Jenny pleaded.
"Well, okay." The husky man answered. He got Jeremy and placed him across his horse. He led his horse to the old cabin.
Jenny rode with the stocky man.
At the old cabin, the two strangers placed Jeremy on the bed in the bedroom. Jenny put a blanket over him.
Before the strangers and Jenny left the old cabin, the stocky one had an idea. "I'll be right back." He went into the bedroom.
Suddenly, Jeremy screamed as if he was in pain.
The stocky stranger returned to the front room.
"What did you do to my brother?!" Jenny shouted. "Did you kill him? I told you I would go with you! Why would you hurt Jeremy more?"
"You didn't kill him, did you, Frank?" The husky stranger asked.
"Naw, Mike, I didn't kill him. I just cut a little of that dead skin of his bad arm." Frank answered.
"You cut his burnt arm! He could get an infection and die!" Jenny yelled. "Let me see Jeremy before we go. I can't leave him here alone bleeding. Please, give me a chance to make sure he isn't bleeding. Please!"
"Your brother is okay. We gotta go." Mike said as he pulled Jenny by her arm toward the door.
"If Jeremy dies, both of you will be sorry. I promise you'll be sorry." Jenny glared at the men as they went out the door.
Mike got Jenny on his horse and then he got on behind her. Frank got on his horse. They rode off in the direction of Olympia.
A few hours later, Jason and Joshua got off from work early. "Josh let's go see Jeremy and Jenny. I imagine that they have had a good day together. What about if we spend the night up there? Have supper as a family and later roast marshmallows on the fire and tell ghost stories." Jason suggested.
"It sounds like a great idea to me, Jason." Joshua agreed.
The brothers went on their way up the mountain to the Bolt family cabin. When they arrived, the front door was unlatched. Jason and Joshua stepped inside.
"Josh, something is wrong. It's too quiet in here." Jason cautioned.
Joshua nodded as he walked slowly toward the bedroom that he and Jeremy had shared as children. Jason went to their father's old bedroom.
As Jason was looking around the bedroom, Joshua shouted, Jeremy! Oh no! Who did this to you?!"
Jason ran to the other bedroom. "Oh, Jeremy! Our sweet brother! How could someone do this to you?!"
Jason and Joshua stood for a moment looking aghast at their younger brother.
Jeremy's face was covered with black and blue bruises. His injured arm was dangling off the bed. It looked like it was broken. There was a deep cut in his arm where it had been burned. There was a puddle of blood in the floor under Jeremy's severely damaged arm.
"Jeremy, Jeremy, can you hear me?" Jason spoke right into his brother's ear.
Jeremy stirred. "Jason? Jenny?"
Jeremy opened his eyes. "Jason, two strangers took Jenny. They…." Jeremy passed out.
"Took Jenny! Shakespeare's sun bonnet!" Jason exclaimed.
Joshua looked around in the cabin and outside quickly for Jenny. He called her name a few times.
"Josh, if Jenny was here. She would be right beside Jeremy taking care of him." Jason said.
"That's right, Jason. I was just thinking that those men might have beaten her and left her here somewhere." Joshua replied.
"I'm afraid, Joshua that those men have an even worse plan for our sister. Come on, brother. We have to get Jeremy to Dr. Wright fast."
Jason and Joshua got their brother into the back of the buckboard. Jason drove the wagon. Joshua stayed in the back with Jeremy.
"Yah! Yah!" Jason shouted at the horses. They took off at a blistering speed.
When they had gone several miles, gunshots rang out. Jason crouched down a bit in the seat. Joshua laid across Jeremy to protect him from any bullets. It was quiet for a little while and the brothers traveled on toward Seattle.
All at once, there were more gunshots and more bullets flying. Joshua stretched across Jeremy again to shield him from the bullets.
Joshua jumped at the sound of Jason screaming in pain. Joshua looked to the front of the buckboard. Jason had been struck in the shoulder by a bullet. Jason fell from the buckboard. The reins fell to the ground and they were being run over by the wagon wheels.
The horses were frightened by the gunshots which were continuing. They were running at a breakneck speed down the mountain.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Joshua screamed.
The horses didn't slow down. Joshua had to do something fast.
Joshua could jump from the wagon, but he couldn't leave Jeremy. They were approaching a sharp dangerous curve. If the horses continued at this speed, they would miss the curve making the buckboard careen down the mountain. Jeremy and Joshua would be killed for certain.
Joshua stood with one foot on the seat of the wagon and his other foot in the bed of the wagon. He looked ahead as that sharp curve got closer. He looked in the back at Jeremy who was still unconscious.
And what about Jason? He was lying back down the trail with a bullet in him and perhaps badly injured from falling from the speeding buckboard.
"Help, Jason, help! Joshua! Help me!" Jeremy cried out.
Joshua looked at Jeremy. He was still unconscious.
"I'm trying baby brother! I'm trying! Joshua shouted as the dangerous curve got closer.