Jeremy and Rachel
Rachel Powell was packing up her gear when she saw a strange sight. A young man wearing leg irons was running toward her camp. He couldn't be an escaped prisoner; he wasn't wearing a prison uniform. Why was he wearing leg irons and why was he running out in these woods?
Suddenly, Rachel saw the reason the young man was running. A Calvary man with a rifle was chasing him. The soldier was raising his rifle getting ready to shoot the young man.
Rachel grabbed her shotgun. She raised it. She said a silent prayer and fired. The young man had tripped and fallen to the ground. The soldier was struck and killed by Rachel's bullet before he had time to pull the trigger.
Rachel ran to see about the man she had saved. When she got to him, she discovered that he had hit his forehead when he fell. There was a gash that was bleeding. He was unconscious.
Rachel had her canteen on her shoulder and a handkerchief in her pocket. She wet the handkerchief and placed it on the man's head. Rachel noticed that the young fellow was very handsome. She wondered again why he had been chased and apparently hunted by the soldier.
"Gotta keep running!" Jeremy exclaimed as he was waking up.
He opened his eyes and pulled away from her frightened. Jeremy tried to stand up and sat right down in the dirt. He tried to crawl backward away from Rachel, but the pain in his head kept him from getting too far.
"It's alright, you don't have to be afraid. That soldier can't hurt you now. He's dead. I killed him before he could kill you." Rachel told him.
"S-S-Soldier? W-W-What s-s-soldier?" Jeremy asked her.
Rachel gasped a little at Jeremy's piercing blue eyes. Where did this gorgeous man come from? "The soldier up the hill there. He was about to shoot you, so I shot him to save you. Why was he trying to kill you? What's your name?"
"I don't know." He replied.
"You don't know why he was trying to kill you? What did he say when he put you in leg irons?" Rachel asked.
She offered him her canteen. He took it and gulped down some water. He handed the canteen back to Rachel.
"Thank you." He told her.
"You're welcome." She replied.
"I don't know why he was trying to kill me or what he said when he put the leg irons on me. I don't know my name either." He told her.
"You hit your head harder than I thought. It seems that you have amnesia." Rachel told him. "I was just getting ready to go home. You can come with me. What's the last thing you remember?"
"I remember running and being afraid." Jeremy told her. "Wait…...I think I remember my name. I think it's Jacob. What's your name, Miss?"
"Hello, Jacob. My name is Rachel Powell. Can you remember your last name?" She asked.
Jeremy thought for a minute. "No, I don't have any idea what my last name is. I don't know how I got out here or why that soldier wanted to kill me." Jeremy looked down at his clothes. "I'm not a soldier."
"Do you remember anything before today?" Rachel asked.
"Well, it seems like there is something about trees that I should remember, but I can't." Jeremy worried.
"Don't be upset, Jacob. Your memory will come back. It takes time. Let's go to my cabin. I have a hatchet at home. You can use it to cut off those leg irons." Rachel said.
"That will be good." Jeremy replied.
Jeremy managed to get on Rachel's horse with her help. He felt a little dizzy for a minute. They rode about ten miles before they arrived at Rachel's home.
Rachel helped Jeremy dismount the horse by the stable. Rachel ran inside the stable to get the hatchet. She brought it outside.
She helped Jeremy sit down on the ground. She gave him the hatchet. As Jacob held it in his hands, he looked at it curiously. As he gripped the handle, it felt familiar and natural to him. Jeremy figured that since he lived in an area with so many trees, using a hatchet would be something that he would do.
Jeremy used the hatchet to cut the chain on the leg irons and then he took them off. It felt good to have them off his legs. When Jeremy got up from the ground, he staggered a few steps. He felt dizzy again and his head ached.
"Jacob! Let me help you." Rachel took his arm.
They went into her cabin. Rachel got Jeremy settled in the spare bedroom. She washed the gash on his head. Rachel used some whiskey to clean the wound and then she bandaged it. She made him some Willow Bark Tea for his headache.
After Jeremy drank the tea, he took off his boots and socks and laid down for a nap. Rachel offered him some food, but he wasn't hungry. In a few minutes, Jacob was sound asleep.
Rachel went out to the stable and tended her horse, Queenie. "Queenie, that's one handsome sweetheart of a man that we brought home today. I wonder if he has a lady friend. He isn't wearing a ring, so he's not married."
When Queenie was settled in her stall, Rachel walked back inside her cabin. She heard Jeremy cry out in pain. Running to the bedroom, she saw him tossing back and forth. He was holding his head.
Rachel sat on the side of the bed. "Jacob, I'm here. It's Rachel. Do you want some more Willow Bark Tea?"
Jeremy was crying. "My head hurts so much; I can't stand it. Please help me!"
"I will make you some feverfew tea and some coffee. Both of them will help your headache. I'm sorry you are feeling so bad, Jacob." Rachel gently touched his cheek.
She pulled the blanket up to his chin. Rachel gently pushed his bangs out of his eyes.
Thank you" Jeremy said softly.
"You're welcome, Jacob." She whispered too.
Before she went to the front room, she stoked the fire in Jeremy's bedroom fireplace.
When the tea and coffee were ready, Rachel returned to the spare room with them on a tray. Placing the tray on the bedside table, Rachel held the cup while Jeremy sipped the feverfew tea. She did the same with the coffee.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Rachel. You are very kind. Do you live here alone?" Jeremy asked.
"You are welcome and yes, I do. My husband and our two-year-old son died two years ago from influenza." She replied sadly.
"I'm sorry. Do you have other family?" Jeremy inquired.
"Yes, I have a sister named Faye. She lives back east. She's not the outdoor girl that I am. She likes the opera and fancy tea parties." Rachel told him.
"What's your favorite outdoor activity?" Jeremy looked deeply into her eyes.
Rachel returned his gaze. "I love to find a handsome prince in distress in the forest and bring him home to take care of him."
"When did that become your favorite outdoor activity?" Jeremy moved closer to her.
"It became my favorite today." Rachel moved closer to him.
Jeremy and Rachel shared a tender kiss.
"I don't usually kiss a man so soon after meeting him." She spoke.
"I hope I didn't offend you, Rachel. If I did, I'm sorry." Jeremy apologized.
"No, Jacob, you didn't upset me. There is something special about you. I can feel that you are a kind and loving man." She said.
"I can tell the same about you. I just realized that I haven't thanked you for saving my life. Thank you, Rachel. I'm grateful." Jeremy responded.
"You're welcome, Jacob. I feel safe with you. That's important to a woman." Rachel's voice trembled.
"You are safe with me, Rachel. Are you alright? Is there something you want to talk about?" Jeremy asked her.
"Not right now, maybe later. I'm okay." She smiled.
That night, Jeremy ate a small bowl of stew that Rachel cooked. His headache had improved. He drank some more coffee and Feverfew tea with his meal.
Rachel got Jeremy settled in his room for the night. He said his headache was almost gone. Rachel went to bed in her room.
There was a terrible thunderstorm going on when they went to bed. Lightning was flashing in the windows.
About two hours later, there was a loud knock at the door. Rachel got up to answer the door.
When she went into the front room, Jeremy was coming out of his room.
"Get your shotgun, there is no telling who it could be this hour of the night." He said.
Rachel got the gun. She and Jeremy walked slowly to the door.
"Who is it? What do you want?" Jeremy shouted.
"We are three men from Seattle! We have been searching for our brother! We need a place to sleep tonight, please so that we can continue our search tomorrow!" One of the men shouted.
Jeremy opened the door slowly. Jason, Joshua, and Aaron were standing on the porch. They recognized Jeremy certainly. However, seeing them did nothing for his memory.
"Jeremy! We have been looking for you for hours! How did you get here? We were scared when we found Sergeant Todd's body. We were terrified that whoever killed him had killed you too." Jason told him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know you. Rachel, is Sergeant Todd the man who was chasing me and about to kill me today?"
"Yes, Jacob. That was him." Rachel said. To the three men on the porch, she said, "I killed Todd to keep him from killing Jacob. I can't lift a man's dead body and Jacob wasn't able to due to being injured. Besides, I didn't care if Todd rotted out there after he placed Jacob in leg irons and chased him down to kill him."
"What is all this about, Jeremy?" Jason asked.
Jeremy didn't answer his brother.
"Ma'am, may we come in out of the rain and cold, please?" Joshua asked.
"Yes, of course, you can." Rachel and Jeremy stepped away from the door.
The three men walked into the cabin. They sat down at the table as did Jeremy and Rachel.
"Jeremy, talk to me, please. Tell me about what Todd did to you." Jason shook Jeremy's arm.
"Oh, are you speaking to me? I don't remember what happened except I was running, and I was scared. Rachel said Todd was about to shoot me so she shot him to save me. That's all I know. Oh, and I had leg irons on. Rachel and I figure that Todd did that to slow me down." Jeremy explained.
"You really don't remember anything else about us or Seattle or Candy?" Joshua asked.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't. I fell and got a bad gash on my head. Who is Candy?" Jeremy asked.
"Well, Jeremy she was your fiancée until a few weeks ago. You and she broke up. She is going back to New Bedford to marry Matthew. She said he is a better man than you are." Joshua said. "You don't remember that? When it happened, you were very upset."
"No, I don't remember Candy or breaking up with her." The youngest brother said.
"Maybe your memory will be better tomorrow. May we sleep in your stable, Miss?" Jason asked.
"We would appreciate it a great deal, Ma'am. We are very tired. We spent half a day hunting Lucifer and the other half searching for Jeremy." Aaron told Rachel.
"Yes, it's fine for you to spend the night. You can make yourself at home. You don't have to sleep in the stable. I have some cots in the stable, you can bring them inside and sleep here in the front room." Rachel told them.
"Thank you, Miss, You are very kind." Joshua replied.
Jeremy cried out in pain as he clutched his head. He dropped to his knees.
"Jeremy! What's wrong, brother?" Jason asked as he and Joshua sat down on the floor beside him.
"My head is hurting terribly again. I had some coffee and some Feverfew tea before I went to bed." Jeremy answered.
"I'll make you some more, Jacob. The medication you had earlier has worn off I suppose." Rachel got up from the table.
"Thank you, Rachel." Jeremy responded.
"You're welcome, Jacob. I'm glad to help you." Rachel spoke.
"Why are you going by Jacob, Jeremy?" Jason asked.
"Because I can't remember my name." Jeremy tried to stand up.
Jason and Joshua each held an arm to help their brother stand.
Joshua nodded at the bandage on Jeremy's head. "I guess your wound is pretty deep."
"Yeah. I guess the knock on the head is what's causing me to have these bad headaches and the amnesia." Jeremy touched the bandage for a second and winced.
'You probably have another concussion, brother. You have had several." Jason said.
"Yeah, one time you had a concussion and a fever at the same time and you almost di…" Joshua caught himself. "Sorry, Jeremy."
"That's okay." Jeremy told him. "Have I ever had these bad headaches before?"
"Well, your head hurt some during the time you had the concussions, but you never dropped to your knees before due to a headache." Jason advised.
Aaron had brought the cots in from the stable. Jason and Joshua went out and put Todd's body in the stable. The three men would bury him tomorrow.
While the two brothers were in the stable, Rachel and Jeremy went into his room. The coffee and tea were ready, so Rachel took them in the bedroom.
While Jeremy was drinking his beverages, Rachel asked if she could sleep on a cot in his room. She said the three men seemed nice, but she didn't get quite the same feeling from them as she did from him. Rachel said she knew that sounded strange because she had just met him today too and he couldn't tell her his real name.
Jeremy offered to sleep on the cot and let her have the bed. Rachel refused saying Jeremy needed the bed due to his injury. Jeremy agreed with her.
Finally, everyone was settled down for the night. Later in the night, Jeremy cried out in pain from another horrible headache. Rachel got up from the cot to help him. Jeremy was sitting up in the bed.
"Jeremy, I'm sorry you keep having these headaches. You need to see a doctor, don't you think?" Rachel asked.
"You're right, Rachel. Why did you call me Jeremy?" He asked.
"I think that's your name and I think those two men are your brothers. I can tell about people. They seem to be telling the truth and they seem to love you." Rachel explained. "I was lying awake thinking after we talked about them earlier. I feel better about them now."
Before Jeremy could reply, there was a knock on the door.
"Jeremy? May we come in? We are worried about you." Jason asked.
"Come in." Jeremy answered.
Jason and Joshua entered the room. They sat down in chairs close to the bed.
"Jeremy, will you go back to Seattle with us today and see Doctor Wright about these headaches, please? "Jason asked.
"You don't want to take me to a doctor. You want to hang me for killing Todd. I'm not going anywhere with you, and neither is Rachel." Jeremy answered.
"Jeremy! We are your brothers. We aren't going to hurt you." Joshua told him. "Please believe us."
"No, I don't believe you! You two might want to chase me down like that sergeant did. Well, I'm not going to give you the chance." Jeremy was angry. "Get out of this cabin, now and take your friend with you! Take that dead body too!"
"Jeremy, they don't have to leave now. Daylight will be soon enough." Rachel put her arms around him. "Calm down, honey. You don't want to make your headache worse."
"Well, alright, but no more talk about me going anywhere with you." Jeremy glared at Jason and Joshua.
The two older brothers left the room. Jeremy drank more coffee and more medicated tea. His head continued to hurt. Rachel got into the bed with him. She stroked his hair and talked soothingly until he was able to fall asleep.
Rachel cried with worry about Jeremy after he went to sleep. She admitted to herself that she was in love with him. She didn't know what she would do if he was dangerously ill.
When the day dawned, Jeremy felt better. He got up and got dressed. He wanted to make sure those men left early.
Going outside, Jeremy found the three men packing up to leave. Satisfied that they wouldn't cause any trouble for him and Rachel, Jeremy headed to the well to get a bucket of water.
As he was lowering the bucket into the well, Jeremy heard a growl. He looked in the direction of the sound. A huge bear was running toward him.
Jeremy didn't have a gun with him. Suddenly, Jeremy fell to the ground. He heard a shotgun blast. He looked up.
Joshua had killed the bear. "I heard the growl, and I knew it was Lucifer. Are you alright, Jeremy?"
Jeremy looked at Joshua in astonishment. "Why did you save my life?"
"Because you are my brother and I love you. I know you don't believe it, but it's the truth. Jason loves you too. We wouldn't hurt you for anything, Jeremy." Joshua said.
Jason, Aaron, and Rachel came up to them. "He's telling you the truth, Jeremy. I hope you will believe him." Jason said. "Please come back to Seattle with us, Jeremy. If we wanted to hurt you, why would Josh save your life? He would have let Lucifer get you. Please brother we are worried about you. Doctor Wright can help you with these headaches."
Jeremy thought for a few moments. He was tired of these headaches. These men could have killed him already if they wanted too and the blond man had saved him from the bear.
"Okay, I will go with you to see the doctor. But I'm coming back here to live if that's okay with Rachel." Jeremy looked at her.
"That will be fine, Jeremy." Rachel smiled.
"Okay, Jeremy, that's alright. We are just glad you are willing to go to the doctor." Joshua sighed in relief.
"Let's get busy burying Todd. The sooner we do that the sooner we can get Jeremy to the doctor." Aaron said.
"You're right, Aaron, come on, Josh! We won't be long, Jeremy." Jason replied.
Rachel and Jeremy went back inside the cabin. The other men dug the grave and buried Todd in the woods.
When they left for Seattle, they took Rachel's buckboard so Jeremy could lie down in the back. Rachel rode in the back. Jason drove the wagon. Joshua sat in the front with him. Their horses were tied to the back of the wagon. Aaron rode his horse.
When they got about halfway to Seattle, Jeremy got sick. Rachel shouted for Jason to stop. He pulled the wagon over to the side of the trail.
"Joshua, help me, please!" Rachel shouted.
Joshua jumped from the buckboard and ran to the back. He saw that Jeremy was about to retch. He helped Jeremy sit up and hold his head over the side of the wagon.
When the retching stopped, Jeremy laid his head on his arm on the side of the buckboard. "My head hurts so bad, Josh. I think I'm dying." Jeremy cried due to the pain.
"You're not dying, Jeremy. You always get sick as a mule when you're ill." Joshua touched his brother's head. "You have a bad fever too. Jason! Jeremy is worse!"
Jason ran to the back of the buckboard. "Look at me, Jeremy."
Jeremy looked at his oldest brother. Jason was alarmed. Jeremy was pale. He felt cold and clammy one minute and burning hot the next.
They heard something coming up the trail. It was a stagecoach headed for Seattle.
"Josh! Stop that stagecoach and see if they might have a doctor aboard." Jason said.
Joshua ran toward the stagecoach stopping in the middle of the trail and holding up his arms. The stagecoach came to a halt a few feet from Joshua.
"What's the problem, son? I sure hope you don't have any bandits hiding in the woods about attack and rob us." The driver said.
"No, Sir!" Joshua shouted as he ran toward the vehicle. "Our brother is very sick. We were wondering if there might be a doctor aboard."
"I'm a doctor's assistant. I work with one of the finest doctors in the country." A young man stuck his head out the coach window.
Joshua ran to the window. "My name is Joshua Bolt. My brother Jeremy is sick with fever, headache, and vomiting. He fell yesterday and hit his head. He's been having headaches since he fell."
"I'll be glad to look at him and see what I can do. My name is Newly O'Brien. I'm from Dodge City, Kansas. I'm going to see my uncle, Roland Francis Clancy."
"Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. We appreciate it very much." Joshua said.
"You're welcome and please call me Newly. May I call you Joshua?"
Newly got off the stagecoach. He had his medical bag.
"Yes, you may, Newly." Joshua and Newly shook hands. "My brothers and I live in Seattle. That's where we are headed. Your uncle is a dear friend of ours. We are practically family."
"It's a small world. Wait up, Sam! We may need you to transport this sick fellow." Newly said.
Sam nodded. Joshua and Newly ran to the buckboard. Jeremy was lying in the back. Rachel was wiping his face with her wet handkerchief.
Newly got in the back of the wagon. He examined Jeremy. "I think he has pneumonia."
"Well, Newly, Jeremy has had pneumonia many times. He usually has difficulty breathing and fortunately, that has not been a problem this time." Jason said.
"I understand what you mean, Jason. Sometimes, the breathing problems don't occur until the illness is more advanced." Newly replied. "I think it will be alright for Jeremy to continue on this trip in the wagon. I would like to ride along with you to keep an eye on him if that's alright."
Jason motioned for Newly to walk a few feet away from the wagon with him. Newly did so.
"Jeremy's seriously ill isn't he?" Jason whispered.
"Yes, Jason, Jeremy is very sick. Pneumonia is a severe illness. I understand that you and Joshua and Rachel are worried. Jeremy is young and strong. There is every reason to believe that he is going to get well."
Jason told Newly that Jeremy has amnesia and about what happened with Candy and with Sergeant Todd. Jason expressed concern about the effects of these occurrences on Jeremy's health.
"I can't give you an exact answer as to the extent of the effect on your brother's health, but it certainly does have a bearing on it. Try to focus on the fact that Jeremy has agreed to see the doctor, he's with you and Joshua and Rachel seems to be in love with him. Those are some positive aspects to counteract at least some of all the negative things that have occurred." Newly told Jason.
Newly told Sam that the stagecoach could proceed. Newly got his bags before they left.
Rachel and Joshua took a short walk to a nearby stream to fill up their canteens. When they returned, the group proceeded on their way.
About five or six miles down the trail, the stagecoach had stopped. There were clothes and opened suitcases all over the area surrounding the stagecoach.
"Be very careful, Jason. Sadly, we can guess what has happened." Aaron advised.
"Right, Aaron. Rachel, you lie down beside Jeremy and stay there please until one of us says otherwise." Jason responded.
"Yes, I will, Jason." Rachel did as requested.
"Alright, men, get your guns ready. Careful now. Aaron, please stay here to protect Rachel and Jeremy." Jason told them.
"Certainly, Jason." Aaron answered.
Jason, Joshua, and Newly slowly approached the stagecoach. When they got to the door, Newly opened it. Everyone inside was dead from gunshot wounds. Newly went to the front of the vehicle. Sam was dead too. His shotgun was in his hand.
Newly and the two Bolts searched the immediate area fast to see if the robbers were still around. They did not find a trace of them.
Aaron remained by the buckboard guarding Rachel and Jeremy. Suddenly, Rachel sat up.
"Get back down, Rachel! It might not be safe!" Aaron warned her.
"I heard something, Aaron, in the woods right over there!" She pointed to an area across from the wagon that the men had not searched.
Aaron listened. He heard something too. Aaron called out to Jason.
"Jason, we hear something. Go check over there." He said pointing in that direction.
Jason hurried into the woods where Aaron directed him. In a few minutes, Jason returned with an amazing discovery.
A two-month-old baby girl. She was alive.
To be continued….