Jeremy's Bigfoot Tragedy Chapter Three
Jeremy went home with Jason and Joshua after he had opened up to them and Raven at the old home place. The next day, Jeremy and his siblings talked to Doctor Wright about his true feelings.
Doctor Wright prescribed Cinchona for him. She also discussed the possibility of a short stay in an asylum.
"Allyn! How can you dare suggest such a thing? I have told you how some people tormented Jeremy when he was a child by telling him that he should be in an asylum because he stuttered." Jason glared at her.
"Jason, I'm not being unkind. I'm sorry if I offended you or your brothers, especially you, Jeremy. Things have changed a lot in the last several years. A patient can receive good care at an asylum now." Allyn replied.
"I'm not going to an asylum, Doctor Wright. It doesn't matter that they have changed. I won't go period. There will not be any further discussion regarding me and one of those places." Jeremy said angrily.
"As you wish, Jeremy. I'm sorry that I upset you." Doctor Wright replied. "Jeremy, you might want to have counseling with Reverend Adams. Talking about your feelings with an educated person of faith can be helpful when you are dealing with grief and melancholy."
"Thank you, Doctor Wright. That is a good idea. I will make an appointment to talk to the Reverend." Jeremy told her.
"Thank you for seeing us, Doctor." Joshua said as they left the clinic.
The three brothers stopped outside the clinic. Jeremy took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky and squinted because of the bright sunlight.
"I'm sorry that Allyn brought up the asylum, Jeremy. I know that's a painful memory for you." Jason put his arm around the youngest Bolt.
"Thanks, Jason. She meant well, I guess." Jeremy smiled at Jason.
"Let's go eat lunch at Lottie's. I'm starving!" Joshua exclaimed.
Jason and Jeremy laughed. Jason slapped Joshua on the back. "Come on, Josh! Let's get you fed!"
The Bolt brothers had a good lunch. They laughed and talked. Lottie was so glad to hear Jeremy participating in the conversation. She was praying every day that he would feel better.
After lunch as the brothers were about to leave, Raven came downstairs. "Jeremy, may I talk to you, please?"
Jeremy told Jason and Joshua to go on without him. He said he would be home later. The older brothers headed to their cabin.
Jeremy looked at Raven. "Hi, sweetheart. What do you want to talk about?"
"About us." She replied. "Let's go to my room."
The couple went to her room. They sat next to each other on the side of the bed. Raven didn't speak.
"Have I upset you somehow?" Jeremy whispered.
"Oh, no! I'm afraid you are going to be angry at me, Jeremy." Raven said. "I lied to you. We are not engaged, and you never told me you love me before I came to Seattle."
"Is anything you told me true?" Jeremy asked calmly.
"Yes, I really love you, Jeremy. I never lied to you about that. We met at lunch with Daddy just like I said. I loved you the day I met you. When I read in the Olympia newspaper about what happened to you and Candy, I was heartbroken for you, Jeremy. That's why I came here. I lied about our engagement because I thought that if you believed that you already loved me that you would accept me and love me. That sounds crazy, I know. But I love you so much and I couldn't bear the thought of you rejecting me." Raven explained sadly.
Jeremy looked up at the ceiling for a minute. He sighed and turned to face Raven. Jeremy opened his mouth to speak. He changed his mind. He looked down at the bed. His breath was coming in little snorts.
"Jeremy." Raven said timidly. "Please say something. If you want to yell and scream at me, that's okay. I deserve it. Just don't keep your feelings bottled up. That hurts you so badly when you do it."
Jeremy looked into her eyes. "I forgive you for lying to me. Thank you for deciding to tell me the truth."
"Oh, thank you, Jeremy! You are kind to forgive me. I will always remember you fondly." She replied.
"Remember me? Are you going somewhere?" He asked.
"Well, after I decided to tell you the truth, I figured I would have to leave town because it would be too painful to see you knowing that you don't love me anymore." Raven lamented.
"When did I say I don't love you anymore?" asked Jeremy.
"You didn't actually say it, but…." Raven watched as Jeremy got up from the bed and stepped in front of her.
She gasped as he got down on one knee. Jeremy took her hand in his. He looked up into her eyes.
"Raven, I love you. I want you to be my wife and the mother of my children. Will you marry me?" Jeremy's piercing blue eyes were shining with tears.
"Yes, Jeremy! Oh, yes! I love you, Jeremy!" Raven was crying tears of joy.
Jeremy stood up and scooped her off the bed. He whirled around and around holding her tightly.
Jeremy and Raven were married in the church three weeks later. It was a lovely wedding with their families and friends in attendance. Jason was Jeremy's best man. Joshua sang a special song he had written for Jeremy and Raven called The Love You Found in Me. It was so beautiful it made the couple cry.
This is the song Joshua wrote and sang:
The Love You Found in Me
How can this be?
How did you ever see?
The love you found in me.
Your warm embrace
Your beautiful face
There was always a trace of the love you found in me.
Your piercing eyes.
Your sweet sweet sighs.
In spite of my lies.
You helped me see.
The love you found in me.
Jeremy and his brothers built a new cabin for Jeremy and his wife. Jeremy made sure they included rooms for several children.
Raven and Jeremy lived in her room at Lottie's until their cabin was completed. Before too long, the new home was completed, and they moved in.
Jeremy's emotional health had improved greatly. He was able to return to work at the logging camp. One night when he got home, he found Raven crying her eyes out.
"Darling, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Jeremy worried.
"No, Jeremy, I'm not sick, sweetheart. I'm so happy!" She sobbed.
"If you are happy, why are you crying?" Jeremy wondered.
"Jeremy, I'm pregnant! We are having a baby, sweetheart!" Raven exclaimed.
Jeremy enfolded Raven in his arms. He was so overwhelmed with emotion, he sobbed.
"Shush, my sweet Jeremy, shush. I love you. I am so proud that your child is inside me." Raven whispered.
Jeremy got hold of his emotions. "I love you, Raven. I'm proud that you are the mother of my child."
Time went by. One night when Raven was about five months pregnant, Jeremy worked late at the camp. He was working on some advertisements for the company for the San Francisco newspapers and he wanted to finish before he went home. Jason and Joshua were at home in their cabin. A few of the loggers were sleeping at the camp tonight. They were in their tents.
As Jeremy was finishing the advertisements, he was looking them over for possible spelling errors. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name.
"Jeremy!" It was a soft female voice.
Thinking that one of the men was playing a trick on him, Jeremy looked behind him. "Alright! Who's trying to scare me?" He laughed.
There was no one behind him. Jeremy decided he was just tired and what he had heard was the wind in the trees.
He was reading his ads one more time before going home. Jeremy heard the female voice call his name again.
Jeremy looked toward the woods as he got up from his chair. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"It's Candy! Help me, Jeremy! Hurry!" The voice said.
"Candy!? How could it be her after all this time?" Jeremy said out loud.
"Jeremy, help me, please! I'm scared, Jeremy!" The voice sounded desperate.
Jeremy ran into the woods. "Candy! Candy! Where are you?"
"I'm farther back from the camp, Jeremy! I was trying to get to the camp, and he caught me. He tied me to a tree and left. He is coming back soon. Save me, Jeremy, please!" The voice whimpered.
"I'm coming, Candy! Don't be afraid! I'm coming to get you!" Jeremy shouted as he ran.
When he got deep into the woods, he stopped. He held up his lantern and looked around. Jeremy didn't see her. It had been several minutes since she had called to him.
"Candy, where are you? I don't see you!" Jeremy shouted.
"Over here, Jeremy! To your left!" Candy answered.
He ran to his left. After a few minutes, Jeremy saw her from a distance. She was tied to a tree. She was looking down at the ground. Her beautiful red hair almost covered her face.
"Candy!" Jeremy gasped. His heart skipped a beat. He ran as fast as he could toward her.
Before he could reach her, a huge man or beast stepped out in front of him. The creature lifted Jeremy off the ground and threw him face down in the dirt. Jeremy landed with a thud. He felt a familiar pain. His ribs were broken again.
Jeremy tried to scramble out of the creature's reach, but the beast was too fast. The thing picked him up and growled in his face. Then Jeremy saw the claw coming at his face. Jeremy said a silent prayer because he knew he was about to die.
Raven was pacing the floor at home. It was 11 pm. Where was Jeremy? He wasn't going to work this late.
Raven drove her buggy to the brothers' cabin. She was in tears when Jason opened the door. He helped her inside to a chair quickly.
Joshua fixed her a cup of tea. Her hands were trembling so badly that she couldn't hold the cup. Joshua held it to her lips while she drank a little of the tea.
"Jeremy hasn't come home from the camp. I am frightened that something has happened to him." Raven told them.
"Oh, don't be scared, Raven. Jeremy got tired and decided to sleep there for the night. He's fine." Jason explained.
"No, Jason. Jeremy wouldn't do that. Not now after what happened two weeks ago." Raven spoke seriously.
"What happened then?" Joshua asked.
"We had a scare about the baby. I had some pain and the doctor thought I might lose her. But it just happened that one time. I've been back to the doctor three times since then and Doctor Wright says the baby and I are both fine. Jeremy has been like a mama hen since the scare. He promised to be home by 7pm." She explained.
"Jeremy didn't tell us. We are sorry you had to go through that." Jason said kindly.
"We are grateful that you and the baby are fine." Joshua smiled.
"Thank you both. Will you go to the camp with me to find Jeremy, please?" Raven asked.
Jason and Joshua exchanged a worried glance. "We better go, Jason." Joshua frowned.
"You're right, Joshua. Let's go." He replied.
The three of them went in the buckboard. The brothers didn't tell Raven the reason for taking the wagon. She knew the reason. They were taking it in case Jeremy was sick or hurt.
When they got to the camp, they went in the sleep tent. Jeremy wasn't there. When they went to check the office tent, they saw the table outside where Jeremy had been working, they knew he wouldn't have left on his way home without putting his advertisements in a safe place.
"Jeremy! Where are you?" Jason shouted. There was no answer.
Corky and Big Swede came out of their tents. They had not seen Jeremy since supper. They offered to help search for him.
Joshua found Jeremy's boot prints heading out in the woods. The four men and Raven searched through the woods.
"Jason! I think I see him up ahead on the trail!" Joshua exclaimed several minutes later.
The other three searchers followed Joshua. It was Jeremy lying in a bloody heap.
"Oh, gawd! Someone has beaten our brother very badly. He's breathing." Joshua knelt on the ground.
When Joshua tried to roll Jeremy over, Jeremy cried out, "Don't hurt her! Please don't hurt Candy!"
Jason crouched by his brothers. "Jeremy, you're safe. We are going to take you to the doctor. Then we will take you and Raven home with us."
"Jason, get Candy, please! Help her Jason! I can't help her!" Jeremy pleaded.
"Jeremy, Candy has been gone for several months. You remember." Jason replied softly.
"No! I saw her. I heard her call my name and ask me to save her. She was tied to a tree. Before I could get to Candy, that creature attacked me again." Jeremy moaned in pain.
"Josh, check around here fast. Jeremy saw somebody. Someone beat him again." Jason shook his head.
"I will make it quick. Our brother needs to see the doctor." Joshua replied.
Raven was on her knees next to her husband. "Oh, sweetheart! Who did this to you?"
"It was Bigfoot." Jeremy gasped in pain.
Joshua returned saying that he didn't find anyone else in the woods. He said he would search more in the morning.
Jason lifted Jeremy carefully from the ground and carried him to the buckboard. As Jason was placing him in the back, Jeremy struggled to get away from his brother. "Candy! Candy!" He cried out.
"Be still, Jeremy!" Jason had to hold him down. "Joshua looked for Candy. She is not there. He will search again tomorrow."
"No! I heard Candy and I saw her! She was begging me to save her! I have to get her, Jason. She will die out here." Jeremy fought the hold that Jason had on him. He could not get loose.
"Jeremy, you are in no condition to search for Candy. We will look in the morning, I promise." Jason stroked Jeremy's hair. "I realize you are upset and worried about Candy. Joshua, Raven, and I are worried about you, brother. You need medical care. Let us take care of you tonight and we will take care of Candy tomorrow."
"Okay, Jason." Jeremy stopped trying to fight his brother. He clutched his ribs. He was breathing hard due to the pain.
Joshua put Raven in the back of the wagon with Jeremy. She tucked the blanket around him and placed her ear over his heart. Bah dum, Bah dum, Bah dum. The steady sound of Jeremy's heartbeat calmed her.
"I love you, Jeremy." Raven whispered. The baby kicked hard making her gasp. She reached for her husband's hand and placed in on her belly. "Your child is kicking me."
Jeremy patted her belly. "I love you, Candy. I'm coming back for you tomorrow. I love our baby too."
Raven sighed. She was not hurt or angry about Jeremy thinking she was Candy. She worried that he probably had another concussion.
When they arrived at the clinic, Doctor Wright examined Jeremy. He had another concussion. His ribs were broken again, and he had several more claw marks on his chest.
Some of the claw marks had caused deep puncture wounds and required stitches. Doctor Wright had Jason place Jeremy on the operating table. The doctor administered the ether to him.
Jeremy was combative grabbing the doctor's hands and pushing them away from his face. "No! I have to find Candy! I can't let her die!"
Jason pried Jeremy's hands from Doctor Wright's hands. He held his brother's hands securely in his while the doctor administered the ether. Jeremy tried to get out of Jason's grip until the ether took effect.
"Whew! That boy can put up a fight even when he is beaten almost to a pulp." Jason exhaled.
When the procedure was completed, Doctor Wright bandaged Jeremy's ribs. He began to wake up. "Candy! Where are you!"
Jason and Joshua ran into the operating room. "Is he fighting you, Doctor?" Jason inquired.
"No, Jeremy just cried out for Candy." Doctor Wright replied. "I think he went back to sleep."
When the bandaging was completed, Jason placed Jeremy in his bed at the clinic. Raven, Jason, and Joshua were spending the rest of the night with Jeremy. The two older brothers tried to convince Raven to stay at Lottie's so she could rest. She refused saying she would not leave Jeremy.
Jeremy seemed to rest fairly well. He moaned a few times in pain. Doctor Wright gave him some Laudanum which appeared to ease his suffering. He slept quietly the rest of the night.
Around dawn the next morning, Jason woke up. He saw a startling sight. Jeremy was out of bed and dressed. He appeared to be getting ready to leave the clinic.
"Jeremy! What do you think you are doing? Get back in your bed. You have to rest." Jason was adamant.
"No, Jason. I'm going to get Candy. She is depending on me. I failed her the last time she needed me. I won't fail her again." Jeremy was determined.
"Jeremy, ordinarily, I wouldn't try to interfere with you and Candy, but you have some severe injuries. You shouldn't be out of bed and certainly not out in the woods." Jason reasoned.
"I'm going, Jason. You can't stop me." Jeremy replied firmly.
"Yes, I can, brother, and I'm about to do it." Jason stepped toward Jeremy.
"No, you're not!" Jeremy shouted furiously. He turned and pointed a gun at Jason.