Searching For Jeremy Bolt Chapter Twelve
Rachel Sullivan knocked frantically on the door at Lottie's.
"Candy! Lottie! Joshua! Open the door! Hurry! Joshua Bolt! Candy! Lottie! Somebody!" Rachel beat on the door.
Joshua ran downstairs and unlocked the door. He slung the door open.
"Rachel, what on earth!?" He asked.
"Oh, Joshua! Jason and Jeremy arrived at the clinic a few minutes ago. Jason has amnesia and from what he says about Jeremy, it sounds like Jeremy has it too." Rachel explained.
"How did Jeremy find Jason? How did they get amnesia? What did Jeremy say?' Joshua rambled.
"Joshua, Jeremy has been shot. The bleeding is minimal and it's a shoulder wound, so he has an excellent chance of recovering." Rachel spoke gently.
"Shot?! Who put a bullet in my brother?" Joshua demanded.
Candy came running downstairs. "Did I hear you say that Jeremy was shot?! Is he alive, Rachel? Tell me, please!"
"Jeremy is alive! He is going to be fine. It's a shoulder wound with very little bleeding now." Rachel assured her. "Joshua, I don't know who shot Jeremy. It certainly wasn't Jason."
"Jason!" Candy exclaimed as the three of them ran out the door on the way to the clinic.
When they had almost reached the clinic, they heard Lottie shouting, "Why didn't you mulligans wake me?! I'm coming!"
By the time, Rachel, Candy, and Joshua got inside the clinic to Jason and Jeremy, Lottie was running in the hospital door.
Jeremy was lying on an examination table and Doctor Wright was cleansing his shoulder wound. Jason was seated in a chair in the exam room.
"Oh, Doctor Wright, may I touch Jeremy, please? I will be very gentle. I need to touch his hair or his face because I have been terrified that I would never see him again." Candy sobbed.
"Certainly, Candy, you may touch Jeremy. Please be gentle as you said." Doctor Wright replied as she examined the gunshot wound.
"Thank you, Doctor. Do you think he can hear us? Jeremy, sweetheart, can you hear me? It's Candy." She whispered in his ear as she stroked his hair.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm not sure what is going on, but he told me his name is George and he goes by Georgie." Jason explained.
Candy frowned at Jason. "Georgie, can you hear me? You are going to be fine. I love you, Georgie."
"What?" Jeremy murmured softly. "Who are you? No one loves me."
Candy gasped. "Oh, Georgie! That's not true! I love you more than life itself!"
Jeremy did not respond. Candy cried again.
"He's going to be alright, Candy. It's normal to be in and out of consciousness with an injury like this." Doctor Wright told her. "I will be taking him into surgery in a few minutes. I need your signature on the permission forms, please, Candy."
"Yes, of course, Doctor Wright." Candy agreed. "Joshua, Jason, I guess you are in agreement about the surgery as well?"
"Sure, Candy. Thank you for asking us." Joshua answered.
"All of you seem like very nice people and I'm pleased at how everyone has taken to Georgie. But I don't understand why you refer to me as Jason. I am Johnny McKinnon. I'm not Georgie's brother." Jason told them.
Joshua carried Jeremy to the operating room and placed him on the table. Candy followed him. He held his brother's hand as he told him, "I love you, Jeremy. You are going to be fine. Jason is here in the clinic. He loves you."
"Thank you, Joshua, the procedure will take about an hour and a half." Doctor Wright said.
Joshua nodded as he left the room. Candy held her husband's hand as she gazed at his handsome face. "Oh, Jeremy! I love you with all my heart and it hurts me when you hurt. You are going to be well soon. I am going to take good care of you and shower you with so much love that you will be up to your ears in love. That doesn't make sense, does it?" Candy laughed softly.
Candy went into the doctor's office where Jason, Joshua, and Lottie were waiting. The brothers were sitting in chairs that were close together. Candy sat down on the sofa next to Lottie.
"Jason, do you remember anything about what happened to you?" Joshua asked.
"I remember Tessa breaking up with me and I remember finding Georgie on the dock. Why do you call him Jeremy?" Jason questioned.
"His name is Jeremy not Georgie. Where did you get that name?" Joshua inquired.
"Jeremy told me his name is George Thompson and that he goes by Georgie." Jason answered.
"Oh… I think I know what happened to Jeremy." Joshua sighed.
"What, Joshua?" Candy asked.
Joshua looked at Candy. "Penny Wallenfang."
"That witch! Why won't she leave Jeremy alone?" Lottie fumed. "She hounded my sweet boy when he was a child and she's still hurting him today!"
"I know what you mean, Lottie. I want to slap that woman when I think how much she has hurt Jeremy. That's not Christian I know but it's how I feel." Candy spoke.
"Joshua! Help! Joshua!" Doctor Wright shouted from the operating room.
Joshua and Jason ran out of the office and down the hall. When they got to the operating room, they saw Jeremy trying to fight off the doctor and Rachel as they tried to administer the ether.
"He woke up as we started to give him the ether. We tried to get him calmed down, but he continues to be combative as you can see." Rachel said.
"Is it okay for me to approach the table, Doctor?" Joshua asked.
"Yes, it's fine, Joshua." Doctor Wright advised.
Joshua walked over to the table. "Georgie, look at me."
Jeremy looked at Joshua.
Looking Jeremy in the eye, Joshua said, "The little backward Bolt boy is a boil on my butt." Joshua snapped his fingers.
"Josh? Where am I? What's going on? Where's Jason?" Jeremy tried to sit up. "Ouch! Damn!"
"Take it easy, Jeremy." Joshua said calmly. "Jason is right here, Jeremy. You are having surgery on your shoulder. You are going to be alright. It's a long story but you were shot."
"Who shot me? The last thing I remember Candy and I were in Olympia." Jeremy spoke.
"Jeremy, we have to perform your surgery now." Doctor Wright told him.
"Sure, Doctor Wright. May I speak to Jason a minute, please? I haven't seen him in a while. I have missed him." Jeremy asked.
"Alright, for a minute." She answered.
Jeremy turned his head toward Jason and held out his hand. Jason didn't move or speak. Joshua nudged Jason with his elbow. There was no response from the oldest brother.
Joshua whispered in Jason's ear, "Jeremy is our baby brother. He is injured and frightened. He is about to have surgery and he wants some comfort from his oldest brother who is his hero. So, get over there and be his loving hero of an oldest brother right now or I will kick your ass to Oregon."
"I don't remember Jeremy or you or even myself." Jason replied in a whisper.
"Fake it!" Joshua whispered again.
"I can't do that." Jason spoke.
"What do you mean you can't do that?!" Joshua shouted.
"I want to know too, Jason. Why can't you speak to Jeremy?" Candy walked into the room. She had gotten worried when the brothers didn't return to the office,
"I can't speak to him because I don't know him." Jason explained.
"You didn't know him when you met him as Georgie, but you talked to him then. It doesn't make sense that you won't talk to him now. Wait a minute! Have you spoken to Penny Harper or Benny Wallenfang recently?" Joshua inquired.
"I saw Benny two weeks ago. Why?" Jason asked.
Joshua walked over to Jeremy. "Brother, Jason is confused right now. He is okay. He isn't sick or anything. He loves you very much and so do I. Your surgery is going to go fine. Alright?" Joshua smiled.
"Okay, Josh, I love you and Jason too. I love you, Candy." Jeremy replied.
Candy rushed to the operating table. "I love you, Jeremy!"
"Everyone except Jeremy, Rachel, and me has to leave right now so we can take this bullet out of Jeremy." Doctor Wright was emphatic.
Everyone left the operating room. Jeremy was not combative, and the doctor proceeded to perform the surgery.
Candy and Jason returned to the office to wait. Joshua went to Ben's Store to wire Reverend Craig Carpenter. After he got a response from Reverend Carpenter, Joshua returned to the clinic.
"Jason, please stand up and look at me?" Joshua said as he entered the doctor's office.
Jason did as the blond Bolt asked. "Jason Bolt is as dumb as a stump. He threw me away like I was an old frump." Joshua said as he snapped his fingers.
"Jason looked surprised. "Where are we, Josh? Where is Jeremy? Have you found him yet?"
"Welcome back, Jason! I figured Penny had gotten ahold of you like she did Jeremy a second time." Joshua told him.
Jason glanced around the room. "Joshua why are we in the doctor's office and where is Jeremy! You are scaring me, brother. What's wrong?"
"Jeremy is going to be alright. He is having surgery because his shoulder is injured. He was shot." Joshua answered.
"Shot! Who shot him? Who put a bullet in our baby brother?!" Jason bellowed. "I'll put my boot up his rear end!"
"Jason, you don't wear boots." Lottie pointed out.
"I'll put on a pair for the occasion, Lottie!" Jason boomed.
Candy and Joshua smiled. It was good to have Jason home and back to his old self.
Jeremy's surgery was completed. Doctor Wright removed the bullet and repaired the damage to his shoulder as much as possible. She said Jeremy would regain full use of his shoulder.
When Jeremy was in a room, the Bolts and Lottie went to sit with him. Jason was heartsick when Joshua told him that he refused to go to Jeremy before the operation.
"My being hypnotized doesn't make me feel any better about refusing him. Was he upset?" Jason asked.
"I talked to him. I don't think Jeremy was upset. He seemed to understand that you weren't yourself." Joshua answered.
"I'm glad he wasn't upset with me." Jason replied.
Candy and the two brothers spent the night with Jeremy. He woke up a few times needing pain medication or a drink of water.
Two weeks later, Doctor Wright released Jeremy from the clinic. He and Candy moved into the cabin, Jason and Joshua moved up to the camp. Jeremy's recovery continued to progress well.
After another two weeks had passed, everyone agreed that Jeremy could be alone for awhile. On Wednesday afternoon, Jason and Joshua were at work and Candy was helping Lottie at the saloon.
Jeremy was enjoying some quiet time in the cabin. He was sitting in the armchair reading a book.
Suddenly five men broke down the front door. They began beating Jeremy, He fought back as hard as he could, His shoulder injury and being outnumbered made that difficult.
They beat Jeremy to a pulp and then drug in the bathtub from the shed out back. The thugs filled the tub half full. They took turns holding Jeremy's head under the water.
Jeremy fought back as hard as he could, but he was weakened from the severe beating. When his head was lifted out of the water for the thugs to trade places, Jeremy tried to punch, bite, or head butt them.
At one point, he got in a pretty good punch, but the ruffian twisted his injured arm until Jeremy screamed in pain.
Jeremy's head was under the water again and he was exhausted from holding his breath. He didn't want to die, but he couldn't hold on any longer.
In his mind, Jeremy began telling Candy, Jason, and Joshua goodbye. As Jeremy lost his last shred of consciousness, he thought he felt someone snatching him from the water.
The youngest brother was right. Jason and Joshua left work early to see how he was doing on his first afternoon alone. They were horrified as they had approached the cabin and saw the door busted open.
When the brothers rushed inside and saw what was happening, Jason grabbed the man off of Jeremy and slung him across the room. He proceeded to do the same with the other jackasses as well.
Joshua had grabbed Jeremy out of the water. He laid his brother flat on the floor.
"Jason! There is no heartbeat!" Joshua shouted.
Jason ran to Joshua and Jeremy and fell to his knees. "I'll blow air into his lungs, and you do the sternum compressions."
Joshua nodded in agreement, and they began the procedure. The two oldest brothers kept at it steadily until they were drenched with sweat. They kept going.
"Jeremy! Come on, brother! You can't leave us! Jeremy! Don't do this to your old brothers! We need you! Jeremy, please!' Joshua begged as he continued the sternum compressions.
Suddenly, Jeremy gasped and coughed. Jason turned Jeremy on his side, and he vomited the water that he had swallowed.
Jason and Joshua got their brother dried off and dressed in dry clothes. They put him in his bed to rest. Jeremy wanted to sit up in the bed, so they helped him do that.
Jason put his arms around the youngest Bolt and cried his eyes out.
"I'm sorry, Jeremy. I don't mean to frighten you. I was so afraid we had lost you." Jason sobbed.
Jeremy put his arms around Jason's neck. "S-S-Scared al-al-most d-d-died."
"You are okay, Jeremy. I'm going to get Candy and Doctor Wright." Joshua patted him on his shoulder.
As the blond brother started to leave the room, Jeremy spoke, "D-D-Don't go. P-P-Please J-J-Josh!"
"I will be right back. Jason will be here with you. I need to get Candy and the doctor." Joshua told him.
Jeremy began weeping. "No! S-S-Stay!"
Jason and Joshua exchanged a worried glance.
Joshua sat down on Jeremy's bed. "Jeremy, I'll stay a few minutes then I need to get Candy and the doctor. Okay?"
"N-N-Need you h-h-here. S-S-Scared." Jeremy told him.
"You are safe, brother. We are not going to leave you alone again. I'm sorry we forgot about the Wallenfangs being after us." Jason had stopped crying.
In a short time, the youngest brother went to sleep. Joshua went quickly to the saloon and the clinic. Joshua told the ladies what happened to Jeremy. Candy was scared and she asked Jason and Joshua to move back into the cabin with her and Jeremy. The brothers agreed.
Jason told the doctor and Candy how frightened Jeremy was after the incident not wanting either of them to leave him even for a short time. Doctor Wright said that was normal.
Candy cried and was angry about what had happened to her husband.
"What do those horrid people want? Penny has been married for years! Why can't she get over the breakup with Jason? She caused it by wanting to send Jeremy away! That shows what a hateful old witch she is!" Candy exclaimed.
Jeremy stirred. "C-C-Candy?"
She hurried to him. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to wake you."
"J-J-Jason? J-J-Josh? Here?" Jeremy's eyes were wide with fear.
"We are right here, brother. We aren't leaving. We have moved back in. Josh and I are going to live here with you and Candy." Jason said.
Jeremy smiled and went back to sleep.
Weeks went by and Jeremy continued to be frightened. He became withdrawn not speaking much on most days. Some days he didn't talk at all. Jason, Joshua, and Candy were close by most of the time and that helped.
Jeremy accompanied his brothers to the logging camp, but he didn't work. He was there to be with them or at least one of them at all times.
One day at the camp, Jeremy became seriously agitated about Candy not being there. He was convinced that something bad had happened to her and his brothers were not telling him.
"Those men came back and hurt Candy, didn't they? Where is she? Why isn't she here with me?" Jeremy worried.
"Jeremy, Candy is fine. She is at home in the cabin. She doesn't come up here very often, remember?" Jason asked. "No one has hurt her."
"She is supposed to be with us, Jason! She can't be alone in the cabin! Those thugs almost killed me. She won't be able to fight them off! We have to go see if Candy is alright!" Jeremy demanded.
"Jason, I think Jeremy has a point. Those guys could come back." Joshua spoke.
"You're right, brothers, I hadn't thought of that. Let's go!" Jason exclaimed.
The Bolts jumped in the buckboard and took off toward town.
When they stopped in front of the cabin, everything looked normal. The three men got out of the buckboard. Jason stepped ahead of Joshua and Jeremy to open the door.
"Great God in Heaven!" Jason thundered.
Joshua and Jeremy ran to the door. Before his siblings could stop him, Jeremy was inside.
The front room was in shambles. The table and chairs were overturned, there were books and papers strewn all around. The items that had been on the mantle were all over the floor. The fireplace tools were laying across the room.
Most frightening of all, the tub was in the room, and it had water in it. Jeremy searched all through the cabin for Candy. She was not there.
"Jason! Candy's gone! What if they killed her?" Jeremy was frantic.
"Try not to worry, Jeremy. We will find her." Jason answered.
Joshua was looking in the bedrooms for any clues regarding Candy's whereabouts.
"Jeremy! Jason! I found a note!" He yelled as he ran back into the front room. "It was on the dresser in Jeremy's bedroom."
Joshua showed them the note. It said: Your sweet wife is where you began your life. You better hurry or you won't have a wife tonight.
"The old home place!" The three brothers said in unison.
"Come on, boys! I'll drive the buckboard!" Jason shouted.
They got in the wagon and Jason made the horses gallop hard all the way up the mountain. When the old cabin was in sight, Jeremy jumped from the buckboard and ran like hell to the door.
When he burst through the door, his brothers could hear him shouting, "Candy! Candy! Answer me! Please! Candy! No! No! Oh, no!"
Jason stopped the buckboard in the yard. He and Joshua slid from the seat and hurried inside.
They found Jeremy in the bedroom. He was on his knees by the bed holding Candy in his arms and sobbing. The older brothers couldn't tell if she was alive.
"Jeremy, give her to me for a minute, please." Jason said calmly.
"No!" Jeremy held her closer.
"Jeremy, please. I need to see if Candy is alright." Jason spoke gently.
"She is not alright." Jeremy talked into her shoulder. "Her hair is soaked from them trying to drown her. Her face is bruised from them hitting her. C-C-Candy's dress is torn almost completely off from where they h-h-hurt her. By h-h-hurt you know what I mean." Jeremy looked up at his brother. Tears were pouring down his cheeks.
"Jeremy, is she breathing?" Jason asked quietly.
"Yes, Candy is breathing." Jeremy answered.
"Jeremy, maybe they didn't hurt her in the way you think. The cabin looked like Candy put up a fight." Joshua suggested.
"I know, Josh. But she is bleeding. Last week Candy told me her lady's time was late and we were hoping she was pregnant." Jeremy buried his face in her shoulder and cried again.
"Josh, hurry back to town and get Doctor Wright and Lottie." Jason said.
"Sure, Jason. I'm sorry, Jeremy. Candy will be alright. I love you, brother." Joshua replied as he left the cabin.
"Thanks, Joshua. I love you too." Jeremy called after him.
"Let's get Candy on the bed, Jeremy." Jason reached down to help him.
Jeremy covered his wife with a blanket and sat on the edge of the bed. He gazed at Candy for a long moment stroking her wet hair.
Then he looked at Jason. "I am going to kill them. It's one thing for them to harass you and me and hypnotize us and even to come close to murdering me, but they can't do this! They can't beat Candy and try to drown her, and h-h-hurt her and think they can get away with it or get their hand slapped by a judge. No! This is the end! They die!"
TBC