Chapter 3 Molly and Jamie
Molly was busy taking care of her niece and nephew that week. Candy was staying in town so that the doctor could monitor her health. This pregnancy was very hard on Candy. She was very anemic and had to eat a lot of food with iron as well as take an iron pill daily.
"I don't like taking that pill!" Candy had said to the doctor, almost whining. The doctor looked at her and smiled. She said:
"Candy, Mrs. Bolt! You know you need that pill and all the red meat that you can eat. I also found some more greens for you to eat as well!" Allyn Wright looked at Candy as she sat on the doctors table.
"But Allyn, why do I have to have so much? I didn't need it for Jasper and Jennifer?"
"Candy, how old are you now? About 25?" Candy nodded yes then Allyn said:
"Then that is why, you are much older than most women who have children. So, it stands that you have little reserves of iron left. Plus, you had two, no three miscarriages so it stands to reason that your body is not as equipped as it was when you were younger!" Candy looked at the doctor and smiled a little and said:
"Well, I still don't like it!"
"So, noted! I also noticed that you are crankier than you were with your other pregnancies even Jasper and Jennifer, you were not as cranky. So, you need rest, iron and lots of healthy food!" Now, tell that man of yours to keep you happy!" She smiled as Candy stepped down from the table. Jeremy was in the waiting room and Allyn came out and said to him:
"Try to keep her quiet, I know that she is staying here in town in the Bolt cabin but please, maybe your brothers can live at your place and Candy can stay there for a while?" Allyn suggested this to Jeremy.
"I will talk with her and my brothers as well." He walked out with Candy, and they walked over to the cabin. When they went inside, Jamie was there.
"Oh, hello Jamie!" Jeremy said not sure what to say if Candy asked about Jamie being in the cabin. Candy looked at Jamie then at Jeremy but said nothing except:
"Jeremy, I would like to lie down for a little while." She went to the bedroom door and opened it. Jamie had stayed at the cabin and his clothes and belongings were spread around in the room.
"Jeremy, why is this room a mess! I know I have been in the hotel with Lottie to look after me but why!" She started to cry. Jeremy looked lost and unsure of what to say, when Jamie said:
"Mrs. Bolt. I just slept here overnight; I had no idea that you would be coming to stay. I will clean this room up lickety split!" Jamie said as he rushed past her, picking his things up and taking the sheets off the bed and using the extra bedding so that she would have clean sheets to sleep on. He was done quickly, his things were out of the room and he said:
"Mrs. Bolt, I sure am sorry about this, my mother taught me to always defer to a lady, so, I cleaned the room, made the bed with fresh sheets and placed a small flower on the nightstand for you. I hope you will be okay with that?" He said gently. Jeremy was surprised. This young man so polite and sweet to Candy. He was impressed.
"May I get you a cup of tea, my mother says chamomile usually helped her to relax and calm down!" Again, Jamie was in the kitchen before anyone could answer and had a teakettle going and was looking for the chamomile tea. When he found it, he placed it in a cup and brought it to her. Jeremy had her sitting in Jason's chair, which was a bit big for her, but she was comfortable. Jamie handed her the tea and then stepped back to wait to see is she needed anything else.
"I will take my stuff and go back up to the camp!" He told Jeremy and immediately took his things and left. Jeremy made sure that Candy was doing okay then he went out to find Jamie. Molly was coming over to the cabin with Jasper and Jennifer when she saw Jamie coming out of the cabin.
"Hello, Mr. McConnell?" she said
"Hello, Miss Pruitt! How are you today?" He noticed that Jasper and Jennifer were with her.
"Oh, I am fine, are Candy and Jeremy in the cabin?"
"Yes they are, I just left"
"Oh, are you leaving Seattle?" Molly said concerned because she saw him with his bag and backpack.
"Oh, no, I am going to stay up at the camp for a few days." He said. Just then Jeremy came over and said:
"Jamie, I was hoping I could catch up with you. Oh, pardon me, Molly, Candy is in the cabin if you were going to see her." Jeremy said. Molly said that was fine and said goodbye to Jeremy and Jamie. Jamie watched as she was headed to the cabin.
"She is a very lovely girl, isn't she?" Jamie asked Jeremy as he still watched her going to the cabin with the children. Jeremy saw something that he was sure he never saw before but as he watched Molly, he realized that soon she would be a grown woman. Then he looked at his newly discovered nephew and saw his face as he was watching Molly as well. He made a mental note to talk to Candy and also Jason about what could be something starting.
"Thank you Jamie for helping with Candy. I did not explain why you were in the cabin, but she seems to be resting now, which is a good thing. How did it go with Jason the other day, I know he was very angry that you climbed the tree?" Jamie laughed and said:
"You know, as I said before that is not the first time I have been yelled at for doing things first without thinking. I have fallen out of trees before, and mom and George both would patch me up and try to tell me to stop and think first but, it never seemed to work out that way. I just had to do something to either find out I should not have done it, or it was okay to do it!" He laughed
"Well, Jason can get pretty scary when he is angry. I know, he scared me sometimes as well. But I am glad you were able to cope with it. They had made it to the camp. Jamie said goodbye to Jeremy and went into the newly built bunkhouse and found a bunk to put his things on a bunk. The afternoon crew were coming in to get ready for dinner and perhaps a little sparking.
"Hey, you the new logger?" said Rocky, a short stocky man with red hair.
"Well, not a logger as yet, just an apprentice!" Rocky laughed at that. Robbins rolled his eyes and looked at Jesse and Sharp. They had some mischief in their minds. The three of them looked at each other, then Rocky grabbed hold of Jamie's arms, Sharp took one leg and Jesse another. Then with three swings they swung him towards the door and let go. Jamie rolled into the door that opened suddenly with Big Swede, Corky and Jason standing there. Jamie got up slowly, Josh had come up behind and helped him up.
"What is going on here?" Jason asked, Jamie stood up and smiled and said;
"Nothing sir, they were showing me the door. You just happened to open it first!" No one said anything. Jason was not happy, but since he did not want to say anything about Jamie being his son, he let it slide for now.
"Hmmmph! I guess I can let that slide! We have gotten the contract to supply the lumber for a housing complex by Lake Union. They have tasked us with 3000 board feet in 3 weeks. For this we will need three teams, early morning, mid to afternoon and afternoon team. The morning team will start at 7 am, the mid team will start at 11 am and the afternoon will start at 2 in the afternoon. This means that we will have extra coverage with all shifts overlapping. Big Swede will take the early morning, Joshua will take the mid team and I will take the afternoon team. Corky, you and Jeremy and Mr. McConnell will work the supplies. The assignments will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the office building." Jason told the men, then he said:
"I want to see you in my office Mr. McConnell!" Jason said as he left the bunkhouse. Jamie looked at the men and they stood there when Rocky said:
"You won't tell on us will ya!" Jamie said to him with a grin:
"Well, I ought to but did I say anything when he was here?" The guys shook their heads no and he said:
"Well, that's your answer!" a collective sigh came from the men and Jamie walked out of the bunkhouse to the office building.
Chapter 4 To tell or not to tell
Jason went back to the office and sat at the newly made desk. Joshua and Jeremy had made it just for him. They were grateful to their big brother, so they decided that he needed an unusual desk. For one thing, the measurements for the desk seemed to be a little larger than a regular office desk. They also made a chair for him, which also was larger as well. Jason stood looking at this monstrosity that his brothers had made for him and laughed. He loved his brothers very much but sometimes; they were a handful!
"Jason, why did you want to see Jamie?" Joshua asked looking up from the desk near the files and books. They had created a small room for the files and had made it into an office room inside, with a door, and a couple of 'windows'. Some day Joshua would get some windows put in so that it could be a little more private.
"I wanted to find out who threw him out the door! That was not at all something I would expect grown men to do!" Jason said as he walked over to his desk.
"But Jason, I think they were just teasing him and that is what happens to new men who come on the job. They get teased sometimes! Don't you remember we teased Rolly and Harper at one time as well…!"
"I remember, but I also remember a time when the teasing turned into something that someone was killed." Jason said as he remembered the Harmon brothers and Will Harmon who was killed. Joshua thought about it as well. Jeremy walked in to the office, he had a desk as well, it was over by the window and his desk had pieces of the samples of wood he had taken when he went and got that contract for building that ship. It had all been sanded down to a nice smooth surface and then varnished to give it a shiny look.
Jamie stood at the door and knocked. The door was open and he could hear his father and uncles discussing things. He knocked again and Jason went to the door.
"Oh, come in Jamie, come in!" Jason bellowed and then showed him to his desk.
"Jeremy, Joshua, I think you need to be in on this as well!" They came over and stood on either side of Jamie.
"So, Jamie, you have been here for a few months now, what do you think?" Jason began. Jamie looked at his father, he had been in a similar circumstance with one of his mothers brothers as well.
"I think the work is interesting, but I think there could be some improvements…." Jason stared at his son. Joshua and Jeremy lifted their eyebrows. How bold of this young man to Jason that he could make some improvements.
"Ah, Jamie, you might wait a little longer to tell Jason he needs to improve!" Joshua said remembering when he tried an idea, and it almost busted the whole business because of Jason's stubbornness! Jason looked at his son and was conflicted on what to do. Jason stood there for what seemed a long time. But he was thinking, he did not want to scare this young man away and at the same time he wanted to be a father, but…
"I should apologize," Jamie said to Jason as he looked at his uncles who were looking at him. "I meant nothing bad but that is what I saw. I am like a fresh pair of new glasses that when you put them on you can see better!" Jeremy and Joshua looked at Jamie and then at each other. Then Joshua whispered to Jeremy:
"I wonder if we should let him keep digging his grave?" Jeremy smiled. Yes, that could happen, but just as Jeremy was about to say something, Jason spoke.
"Jamie, I appreciate the information and I will think about it. However, at this time, you are only an apprentice, your job is to listen watch, copy and learn. I know that you will be learning a lot more at the university next year, but until then, please wait until you are asked. We still have to get to know each other first!" Jamie nodded his head yes and waited for Jason to speak some more.
Molly had just gotten Jasper and Jennifer settled that night, They had done their chores and were ready for bed, she was sitting up in their room reading a story to them. She heard someone come in and said she would be back in a moment. Going downstairs, she took the candle and lit it. She wondered if Jeremy had come back to get some of Candy's things or if Christopher was home and going to stay in his room. She went down the stairs slowly, she could hear someone, but she could not see in the dark. She got to the bottom of the staircase and stepped down from the last step when someone grabbed her from behind and knocked the candle on the floor, the flame jumped over to a curtain hanging over the hall window. Molly kicked back and screamed. Jasper and Jennifer went to the top of the stairs. The person who had Molly hit her hard across the face. Jasper, ran into the room and opened the cage to let Bungee out, then he took Jennifer, and they climbed down the balcony and ran to Lotties. Whoever had taken Molly was gone along with Molly.
At Lotties, when Jasper and Jenni came running in the men went out to try and save the house that Candy and Jeremy lived in. Lottie took the children. Big Swede went to the Bolt Cabin and woke up Jeremy and Candy.
"The children, Jeremy, the children!" Candy cried and then fainted. Jeremy caught her.
"Candy, the children are at Lottie's!" Big Swede said,
"Swede, get Essie over here and she can help Candy!" Jeremy said to Swede who went back to his place and woke up Essie. The loggers who were in town were there and saved the house and most of the things inside. Molly was gone, Christopher had been up in the camp that night so, one of the men woke him up and said there was a fire at the house. He dressed hurriedly and ran down to the town and then to Lottie's.
"Lottie, Aunt Lottie, where is Molly, the children also?" Chris asked. Lottie came down the stairs:
"The children are upstairs. Molly was kidnapped!" Chris was beside himself.
"Does Candy know?"
"I don't know. I am waiting for Swede or Jeremy to come and let us know." Just as she finished, Miss Essie came in with Candy.
"Oh Lottie, where are my children?" Lottie took her upstairs and she was happy to be with her children. Dr. Wright came in at that moment and asked a few questions, when she found out that Molly was kidnapped she frowned.
"Should we tell Candy?" Lottie asked. Candy came downstairs, she looked okay but a bit tired.
"Tell, me what?" They all looked at the doctor, who said:
"Candy, your sister has been kidnapped!"