Jeremy and Lottie The Road Home Chapter Four
The next morning, Joshua woke up early. He had gotten very little sleep. Jason and he had come to the heartbreaking conclusion the previous night that Jeremy was dead. He had either fallen overboard or jumped.
Jason was so distraught that Joshua had given him some Laudanum to help settle his nerves a bit. Joshua drank half a bottle of whiskey for his nerves. Biddie drank a fourth of the bottle with him. Candy like Jason slept with the help of Laudanum.
Now that it was morning, Joshua faced the daunting task of telling Lottie about Jeremy. This sad chore was made even worse by the fact that Jason had lied to Lottie days ago telling her that the youngest Bolt was alright.
Joshua got out of bed and got dressed. He checked on Jason. The older brother was still asleep.
Joshua walked down the hall to Candy's room. Biddie had stayed with Candy in case she was needed during the night, Joshua knocked on the door.
Biddie opened the door. "Hello, Joshua. I hope you were able to get a little sleep."
"A little bit. Not much, Biddie. How about, you? And Candy? Did she sleep most of the night? Jason finally went to sleep, but I think it was more from exhaustion than from the medication." Joshua sighed.
He looked so tired and so sad that Biddie wanted to cry. She reached up and kissed Joshua on his cheek.
"I hope that was alright, Joshua. I don't mean to be forward. You just…I mean I know you are heartbroken, and I wanted to try to make you feel…. I mean I know that a kiss certainly doesn't take the place of your brother, I just…" Biddie rambled.
"I know what you mean, Biddie. It was fine. In fact, it was nice. Thank you." Joshua gave Biddie a little kiss on her cheek.
"Joshua, oh, my. You're right, that is nice. Thank you." Biddie blushed.
Joshua smiled a sad smile at her.
"Jeremy…." Candy murmured. "Jeremy!" She awoke with a start.
"Candy, I'm right here." Biddie hurried to the bed.
"Oh, Biddie! It wasn't a nightmare, was it? Jeremy is really gone, isn't he?" Candy wailed.
"I'm sorry, Candy. Yes, Jeremy is gone." Biddie replied.
Joshua motioned to Biddie from the door. Biddie went to him.
"I will go get Jason out of bed and help him get dressed. Do you think you can get Candy to come down to the galley so we can at least try to eat breakfast? I'm not hungry, but we have got to start somewhere going through the motions of a normal, whatever that means anymore, day." Joshua said.
"I think I can get Candy down to the galley if I tell her, it will help you and Jason." Biddie told him.
"Thank you, Biddie. You are quite a girl." Joshua said.
"You're welcome, Joshua. I'm happy to help, I just wish it wasn't under such devastating circumstances." Biddie replied.
"Me too, Biddie." Joshua said. "See you soon." He left the room.
Biddie helped Candy wash her face and comb her hair. She encouraged Candy to get dressed. After she dressed, Candy agreed to go to the galley to help Jason and Joshua.
The two ladies and the two men sat quietly at their table. They didn't even look at the food on their plates. They sipped their coffee. They sighed. They blinked back tears.
One of the cooks walked past their table. Candy turned her head and watched him as he walked in the direction of the pantry.
"Oh, dear God!" Candy exclaimed. "Biddie! Get a pitcher of water and a cup! Quick!"
"What is it, Candy?" Joshua asked.
"I know where Jeremy is!" She shouted.
"Now, Candy, we searched all over the ship." Jason said.
"We didn't search in this spot, Jason!" Candy was excited.
Biddie hurried back to the table with the pitcher of water and the cup.
"Follow me! Oh, dear Lord, please don't let us be too late!" Candy prayed as she ran with her feet flying.
Candy led them through the pantry which was exceedingly long. At the end of it there was a door. Candy opened the door and ran fast down a hallway to the left. When that hall ended, there was another door. Candy snatched that door opened and began running to the right.
At the end of this last hall, there was a small room that looked like a jail cell. There was a cot and a window in this room. The door looked like a jail cell door.
Jeremy was asleep on the cot. There was a canteen on the floor at the head of the cot. From its position on the floor, it looked like Jeremy had dropped it there.
"Thank God he brought some water with him!" Candy exclaimed when she saw the canteen.
Jason yanked the door open and was on his knees by the bed. "Jeremy, brother, can you hear me?"
Jeremy didn't respond. "His pulse is good considering he's been back here for four days..." Jason touched Jeremy's neck.
Candy knelt by the cot too. "Jeremy, sweetheart, please wake up." Candy blew lightly in his ear.
"Leave me alone, Josh. Can't a guy sleep?" Jeremy murmured brushing at his ear with his hand.
"No! A guy can't sleep when his family has been missing him for four days!" Jason said in his booming voice.
"What!" Jeremy growled. He tried to sit up. "Oh, my head!"
"When did you finish your water, Jeremy?" Candy asked. She helped him sit up.
"Sometime yesterday. I'm thirsty." He answered hoarsely.
Biddie handed Candy a cup of cold water.
Candy sat on the cot next to Jeremy. She held the cup to his lips. "Drink this, darling."
Jeremy drank the water in one gulp. "That's good." He rubbed his head and winced.
Candy held another cup of water while Jeremy drank it.
"Do you have a headache?" Joshua crouched in front of him.
"Yeah, I do, Josh." Jeremy looked at his blond brother and then at everyone else. "Why are all of you crying?"
"We are crying, brother, because we thought you were dead. We thought you had jumped!" Joshua screamed and cried. His bottled-up emotions spewed.
"Oh, hell, Josh!" Jeremy said softly as he held his arms out to him.
Candy got up from the cot so Joshua could sit down. Jeremy wrapped his arms around his brother.
"I'm sorry, Josh. I didn't mean to frighten you. All I could think was that I needed to be alone to deal with the shock and the pain of hearing the truth about Mom. I didn't plan to stay back here this long. Please forgive me, Josh. I have never seen you this upset before." Jeremy explained. "I love you, Josh. It's okay. Everything is alright. I love you. I'm so sorry I hurt you, Josh." Jeremy cried.
"I love you, Jeremy. I was scared out of my mind." Joshua sobbed.
"Hey, make room for me!" Jason bawled.
The two younger brothers moved over to make room for their oldest sibling. Jason sat down on the cot and put an arm on the back of each of his brothers. The three of them bent their heads down close together.
The Bolt brothers embraced and cried together for several minutes. Candy and Biddie stood arm in arm watching them.
Biddie turned toward Candy and hid her face against her best friend's shoulder.
"Oh, Biddie! Why are you crying?" Candy inquired.
"It's just so precious, Candy. So precious! Seeing how much those boys love each other." Biddie sobbed.
"You're right, Biddie. You're absolutely right!" Candy began to cry. "And we love them too, don't we, Biddie?"
"Yes, indeedy we do. Joshua is so….." Biddie hesitated.
Biddie and Candy looked at each other and laughed in spite of their tears.
'What were you saying, Biddie? Joshua is so what?" Candy smiled.
"Oh, Candy! Really!" Biddie exclaimed.
The ladies shared another laugh and dried their tears on their sleeves.
The three brothers were drying their tears as well. They slapped each other on the back.
"Jeremy, we understand that you were scared and upset when you found out that Lottie isn't Mom. Josh and I realize that your first reaction was to get away by yourself. And while we pray that you never have a situation like this again, if you are upset badly in the future, please let us know that you are going somewhere to be alone." Jason told him.
"Let us know where you are going too, please brother." Joshua added.
"Yes, I will let you two know. Again, I'm sorry that I frightened you." Jeremy said sadly.
"We aren't angry or anything, Jeremy. Don't be mad at yourself. We are just ecstatic that you are alright. Let's get out of here and get you something to eat." Jason replied.
"Let's all get some food. We didn't eat earlier, remember?" Joshua smiled.
All of them left the small room. Jason and Joshua walked with Jeremy between them. Each one of them holding to one of Jeremy's arms.
When they returned to the galley, they sat at a table. Jeremy drank more water and a cup of coffee. At Candy's insistence, he ate a few bites of scrambled eggs.
Everyone else ate a complete breakfast. After the meal was finished, Jeremy wanted to go see Lottie.
On the way to Lottie's room, Jason explained to Jeremy that he lied to Lottie telling her that he had been found days ago. Even though Jeremy hates lying, he understood Jason's reasoning regarding Lottie.
"Hello, Lottie. How are you feeling?" Jeremy asked sweetly. He was sitting in a chair by the bed.
"I'm feeling better, Jeremy. I've been worried about you, sweetheart. I'm sorry I told you so bluntly about your mother. I know you were terribly upset." Lottie apologized.
"It's alright, Lottie. You didn't remember that I had forgotten when you told me." Jeremy replied. "I love you, Lottie." He leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"I love you, Jeremy." She smiled.
Clancy had been sitting with Lottie. He was in the room with her and Jeremy. Clancy was overjoyed that Jeremy was found alive. He gave Jeremy a big hug without letting on that young Bolt had just been found.
Jeremy and Jason left Lottie's room headed to his room. Jeremy was exhausted.
In his room, Jason and Joshua who was waiting there, helped him wash up and change into clean long johns. Jeremy got in bed. His brothers were going to sit with him for awhile. Soon Jeremy went to sleep. The older brothers dozed in their chairs.
About an hour later, Candy knocked on the door. Joshua opened the door.
"Why don't you both go to your rooms and rest? I'll stay with Jeremy. I really want to sit with him for awhile." Candy told them.
Jason and Joshua exchanged a glance and a smile.
"Alright, Candy, Josh and I will go rest in our rooms. Come get us, please if you or Jeremy need anything." Jason gave her a light squeeze.
"Thank you, Jason, I will." Candy replied.
"Jeremy is very blessed to have you, Candy." Joshua said quietly.
"Oh, Joshua! I'm the one who is blessed." Candy smiled.
"Both of you are blessed." Jason grinned.
Candy nodded in agreement as the two brothers left the room.
Candy turned around and gazed at Jeremy sleeping in the bed. She looked up toward Heaven and silently thanked God again for bringing Jeremy back to all of them.
Gazing at her fiancé once again, Candy made a decision. She undressed down to her pantaloons. She got under the cover next to Jeremy in the bed.
She placed her head on his chest. Her ear was over his heart. The steady rhythmic sound calmed her nerves. She sighed deeply as she drifted off to sleep.
When Candy woke up later in the afternoon, Jeremy was still asleep. My sweet darling is so tired. She thought.
Candy propped on her elbow. She smiled as she traced Jeremy's lips with her fingertip. Candy leaned close to his face giving him a tender kiss on his lips.
Jeremy drew in his breath as he opened his eyes. He put his arms around Candy's neck and rolled her over on to the bed. They shared a passionate kiss.
"I love you, Jeremy." Candy whispered softly.
"I l-l-love y-y-you, C-C-Candy." Jeremy narrowed his eyes and frowned.
He sat up on the side of the bed. "W-W-What's w-w-wrong w-w-with me?"
"Wrong? Jeremy, there is nothing wrong with you, sweetheart." Candy sat up too.
His pain was reflected in his eyes. "W-W-Why c-c-can't I t-t-talk r-r-right?"
"Jeremy, you haven't stuttered in a long time. But it's not surprising that you are stuttering after all you have been through lately." Candy touched his arm gently.
"S-S-Stutter? I h-h-have n-n-never s-s-stuttered b-b-before in my, my, my, l-l-life." Jeremy held his arms out.
Candy enfolded him in her arms and placed his head on her shoulder. She could feel Jeremy's body trembling as he cried.
To be continued…