Searching For Jeremy Bolt Chapter Nine
"Candy? Where are we?" Jeremy asked as they woke up the next morning.
Both of them had slept on the small cot. Candy yawned and then she kissed Jeremy on his lips.
"Sweetheart, we are in the asylum in Olympia." She answered.
"Oh, I really did it, didn't I?" He moaned.
"Yes, Jeremy, you did." Candy told him. "Don't worry, we will get out."
"How are we gonna do that, Candy? I tried to get out yesterday and they caught me. Then they almost drowned me for my so-called misbehavior." Jeremy replied.
"Ralph said he will help us make a plan to get you out. I have got to get dressed and be ready when he comes to get me out this morning. He said he would be here early."
"Do you think we can trust Ralph? People are not always as they seem to be especially in places like this." Jeremy told her.
"Yes, I know that, sweetheart. I threatened Ralph with your brothers, and he promised that he truly wants to help us." Candy answered.
"Oh, he promised! Well, that makes everything just fine, doesn't it?" He said sarcastically.
Candy got up from the cot. She stood with her hands on her hips looking at her husband.
"Jeremy, we have to trust somebody. We need help and Ralph is all we have." She spoke.
"You're right, Candy." Jeremy sat up on the side of the cot. "I wonder what they did with my clothes."
"Your clothes and your boots are in the closet. Ralph told me he couldn't get you out today. He said we need a plan." Candy started getting dressed.
"We have a plan. The plan is for me to get out today." Jeremy walked to the closet.
"Jeremy, from the way Ralph talked, he believes we need to think this through. We need to be sure of how we are going to get you out." She was worried.
"Sweetheart, I know you're frightened. I'm scared too. We have to do it today. What if we wait and they dope me up so much that I don't come out of it, or they drown me in that icy bath?" Jeremy buttoned his shirt.
"Oh, Jeremy! You are right! It has to be today!" Candy brushed her hair.
Just as they finished getting dressed, there was a light tap at the door. Candy walked quietly to the door.
"Ralph?" She whispered.
"Yes." A male voice replied softly.
Jeremy motioned for Candy to step back and let him open the door. Candy gave him the key and moved out of the way.
Jeremy unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Candy could see out the door as it moved.
"Hello, Ralph." She spoke. "Jeremy is leaving with me. We are not going to wait."
"Okay, I can understand you wanting to get out of here as soon as you can. We can go to the bottom floor and out the back way." Ralph replied.
"I didn't see a door to the outside down there. Are you sure this isn't a trick?" Jeremy was skeptical.
"I'm not trying to trick you, Jeremy. You only went as far as the treatment room yesterday. That's why you didn't see the door." Ralph explained.
"Okay, I suppose we have to trust you." Jeremy responded.
"Are you both ready to go?" Ralph asked.
Jeremy and Candy nodded yes. They gave each other a quick kiss on the lips.
Ralph opened the door and looked up and down the hall. There was no one in sight.
The three of them crept down the hallway toward the door at the end. Ralph unlocked that door and looked to see if anyone was around. The area was empty so the three proceeded to the flight of stairs.
At the door at the bottom of the stairs, Jeremy panicked. Memories of the icy bath treatment frightened him.
Candy put her arms around him. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'm here and no one is going to hurt you again. We just have to go this way so we can get out. Try to think about that, Jeremy. In a few minutes, we will be out of this awful place, and we can go home to beautiful Seattle. I love you, Jeremy. You can do this." She held him tightly for a minute.
"I love you, Candy. Let's go." Jeremy whispered.
Ralph unlocked the door and looked for people in the hallway. It was clear so the three of them hurried down the hall toward the outside door.
Just as they passed the treatment room, they heard gruff angry voices. "Hey! What are you doing down here? Where did that woman come from?"
The Bolt couple ran fast but the guards were faster. Jeremy fought the guards as hard as he could. Ralph stood back and watched the fight. Jeremy screamed for Candy to go on and get out. But she would not leave him.
Finally, the guards, Horace and Hugh tied Jeremy's and Candy's hands behind their backs.
"Thanks for your help, Ralph!" Jeremy snarled.
"Oh, that's just a little game I play with new patients and their families. It helps pass the time." Ralph smirked.
Ralph and the guards took Jeremy and Candy into the treatment room. Jeremy noticed that there were two tubs of icy water this time.
"I'm so sorry, Jeremy! I shouldn't have been so trusting!" Candy cried.
"It's not your fault, Candy. Ralph lied to you. I'm not angry at you." Jeremy consoled her.
"Hey Hugh! I got a good idea, let's drown her and make him watch. That will really hurt him. Probably more than getting drowned himself." Horace said.
"Yeah, that sounds good, Horace. The boss told us to hurt Jeremy Bolt as much as we could." Hugh glanced at Jeremy.
Hugh walked up to Candy. "Take your dress off!"
"Wait just a damn minute! If you're supposed to hurt me, then do something to me and leave her the hell alone!" Jeremy shouted.
"Oh but doing something to her is a way to hurt you. See how upset you are? And we haven't even touched her yet!" Hugh laughed.
"Take your dress off." Hugh told Candy again.
"My hands are tied." She said.
Hugh untied her hands. Candy took off her dress and dropped it on the floor. Horace and Hugh looked her up and down with a wicked gleam in their eyes.
"Do something with all that hair." Hugh spoke.
Candy took her hair ribbon off the top of her head and used it to tie her long tresses back.
Horace tied her hands behind her back again and took her to the tub.
"Oh, please don't! No! Not Candy! Not my sweet girl! Please!" Jeremy begged. He glared at Ralph standing next to him to keep him in his chair.
"Get down on your knees!" Hugh barked.
Candy did as he said. "I love you, Jeremy! Always and forever!"
"I love you, Candy! Always and forever!" Jeremy sobbed. "Take a deep breath and hold it!"
As Candy did what Jeremy told her, Hugh grabbed her by the hair on the back of her head and shoved her head under the water.
Jeremy became a wild man. He lunged forward aiming to head butt Hugh into the tub. Before he could do that, Ralph snatched him back toward the chair.
When Jeremy turned his head to cuss Ralph, he saw that Ralph had his pocketknife. Ralph cut Jeremy's hands lose.
Jeremy grabbed Hugh and punched him in the face so hard that he fell in the floor.
Candy lifted her head from the water. She spat and sputtered for a few seconds. Jeremy grabbed her by the arm and propelled her to the door.
"Get out, Candy! Run! Don't let anyone stop you! Get out of this place and don't come back!" Jeremy screamed.
"Come with me, Jeremy! I'm not going without you!" Candy shouted.
Jeremy looked behind him. Ralph was beating up Horace and winning. Hugh was still unconscious.
"Go, Jeremy! Go with your wife!" Ralph yelled.
Jeremy and Candy ran out the door together. As the hall door came into view, Jeremy felt someone yank him backward. It was Hugh.
"Go on, Candy! Go on!" Jeremy shouted.
"Oh, Jeremy!" She cried.
Candy watched for a few seconds as Hugh overpowered Jeremy and pulled him back toward the treatment room. Then she ran down the hall as fast as she could go.
"Help! Help! Somebody, please! Help!" Candy shouted as she ran. She was terrified because she knew that Hugh was going to drown Jeremy in the treatment room.
Candy made it down the halls and up the stairs and through the doors to the second floor where Jeremy's room was located.
The whole time she was running, Candy had yelled for help. No one had responded.
As she was running toward Jeremy's room, she kept shouting.
Suddenly, Jason and Joshua stepped out from Jeremy's room. They rushed to her.
"Where is Jeremy?" Jason asked.
"Bottom floor in the treatment room. They are going to drown him in a tub of water! Hurry! Hurry! Help Ralph too! He helped us! Hugh and Horace are the mean ones!" Candy told him.
"Candy, you wait here until we come back! Come on, Josh!" Jason shouted.
The two oldest brothers ran like hell. When they got to the treatment room, Hugh was holding Jeremy's head under the water in the tub.
Jason snatched Hugh off of Jeremy and punched him square in the face. Hugh staggered and then lunged at Jason. The oldest brother grabbed Hugh by the front of his shirt and shoved him backwards against a cabinet causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness.
Ralph was also unconscious in the floor. Hugh had knocked him out so he could kill Jeremy.
While Jason was fighting Hugh, Joshua had gotten Jeremy away from the tub. The blond brother was on his knees supporting Jeremy's head with his arm and trying to get him to come to. Horace was slumped in a chair after being defeated by Ralph.
Jason got on his knees next to Joshua. "Jeremy! Jeremy! Wake up! Jeremy, can you hear me?"
Jason put his ear to the youngest brother's chest. There was a strong heartbeat. Jason looked at Joshua and smiled.
Jason whispered in Jeremy's ear. "Oh, baby brother! It's time to wake up! Come on, baby brother!"
Jeremy gasped and then coughed. He opened his eyes. "Who the hell is calling me baby brother!"
Jeremy was shocked to see his brothers. "Joshua! Jason! How did you get here? Candy! Is Candy alright? Have you seen her? She's okay, isn't she?"
"Easy, Jeremy, easy. Candy is alright. She is in your room. We got a telegram from Percy Brown at the hotel. He got worried when you and Candy didn't come back there last night." Jason explained.
"Let's go get Candy and get out of here. Wait, what if they still won't let me leave?" Jeremy wondered.
"I don't think you have to worry about that now, brother. Look around. You and Ralph and Jason had to fight off the guards to keep them from killing you and Candy." Joshua told him.
"That's right, Josh. How is Ralph? He helped me and Candy. We need to help him get out of here. They will be after him now." Jeremy asked.
Jason and Joshua helped Jeremy get up from the floor. Jason helped Jeremy stay on his feet while Joshua checked on Ralph.
Ralph woke up and the four men left the treatment room to go get Candy. Joshua had found Candy's dress on the floor, and he took it with him.
Candy ran to Jeremy as he walked into his room. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" She threw her arms around him.
"Jeremy, come over here and sit down. We brought you another set of your work clothes and another pair of boots." Jason told him.
Joshua and Candy helped Jeremy to the cot. Candy got some towels from the closet and helped her husband dry off.
Jeremy changed his clothes. Candy had dried off while waiting for Jeremy and his brothers to return. She got her dress from Joshua and went into the closet to put it on.
After Candy was dressed, she and Jeremy sat on the cot with blankets wrapped around them to try to stop their shivering.
Ralph had not come in the room with the Bolts. He had told them he would go pack his belongings and meet them at the front door.
"Jason, are you okay after doing all that running and fighting?" Joshua asked.
"Yeah, Jason, you are still supposed to be in the clinic. Why did you do all of this?" Jeremy asked.
"Why did I do all of this? Jason growled. "I did all of this to save your life, baby brother!"
"I'm sorry, Jason, I didn't mean to make you angry. Thank you for saving me. I'm worried about you overdoing it while you are recovering." Jeremy spoke tearfully.
"I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have spoken sharply. I understand you are exhausted and probably still frightened." Jason apologized.
"Yes, I am terrified. Before Hugh held my head under the water, he told me the boss wanted me dead. He said the boss wouldn't give up until after my death." Jeremy's voice quivered. "He didn't tell me the boss's name or how the boss knows me."
"Oh, dear God, Jeremy!" Candy drew him into her arms.
"Well, we need to get out of here now and head back to Seattle." Joshua stated.
"Yes, we certainly need to get out of here, but I don't think we should try to go home today. Candy, Jeremy, and I are much too tired. We can stay at the hotel. We will be safe there." Jason advised.
Everyone agreed with Jason. They left the room and went to the lobby. Jeremy was afraid the guards might not allow him to leave. Jason assured him that there would not be a problem.
"Hello, ma'am, my name is Jason Bolt. I am taking my brother, Jeremy Bolt out of your institution as of right now." He told Gertrude.
"On whose authority, Mr. Bolt?" Gertrude frowned.
"On the authority of Governor Edward S. Salomon." Jason took his wallet from his pocket.
He opened his wallet and removed a telegram from the Governor. In the wire, the Governor stated that Jeremy's commitment order was dismissed, and Jeremy was to be released from The Olympia Hospital for Insanity and Immorality immediately.
Jason handed the telegram to Gertrude. She read it and told Jeremy he was free to go.
Jeremy and Candy hugged and kissed. "Oh, Jeremy! I am so happy!"
"So am I, Candy! Thank you, Jason, Thanks, Josh! Let's get out of here!" Jeremy grinned.
The Bolt family and Ralph left the asylum. Ralph told them that he was going to catch the noon stagecoach for Port Angeles and go home to his mother for a while. The Bolts thanked him for all of his help.
Jeremy and his wife along with his brothers went to the hotel. Jason and Joshua got a room next door to Jeremy and Candy's room. All of them were tired and emotionally frazzled from the morning so everyone took a long nap that afternoon.
Percy Brown was ecstatic to see them. He was grateful that Candy and Jeremy had gotten out of the asylum fairly unscathed. The brothers and Candy thanked Mr. Brown profusely for his help.
Later in the afternoon, Jeremy woke up with one of the agonizing headaches. It was so painful; he was in tears. His brothers and Candy insisted that he go to the hospital.
"No! I'm never going to another hospital except Doctor Wright's clinic!" He protested.
"Jeremy, we are talking about a regular hospital. Certainly not about the asylum." Jason spoke quietly.
"Please, sweetheart! I am worried about you. Will you do it for me?" Candy pleaded.
"I will go to the hospital, Candy. This headache has me crying and now I have to puke because of it!" Jeremy ran to the washroom.
Candy followed Jeremy into the washroom. She stayed with him as he retched violently. Between the pain and the retching, Jeremy became too weak to stand up alone. Candy tried but she wasn't able to hold up her husband.
Candy shouted for Jason who hurried to them. While Jason held up Jeremy, Candy went downstairs to talk to Mr. Brown about getting some warm compresses for Jeremy's head.
After a few minutes, Jeremy stopped retching. However, he was sobbing from the headache. Jason stuck his head out of the washroom door to tell Joshua to run outside and hire a carriage. They had to take Jeremy to the hospital immediately.
Joshua hailed a carriage and hired it. Then he flew back upstairs to get Jeremy. Candy was back in the room, and she was terrified because Jeremy was so sick.
Joshua offered to carry the youngest brother down to the carriage, however, Jason insisted that he could do it. The oldest Bolt carried Jeremy outside without any problem.
Joshua instructed the carriage driver to take them immediately to the nearest medical hospital. The driver transported them to the Olympia Good Samaritan Hospital.
When they arrived, Jason ran inside with Jeremy. A young nurse saw them coming and directed Jason to a nearby exam room. Jason placed Jeremy on the examination table.
As Jason was about to walk away, Jeremy caught his hand. "J-J-Jason don't leave me, please. I am really scared that I'm not going to make it. Don't tell Candy."
"Josh and I won't leave you, Jeremy. You are going to be fine." Jason stroked his hair.
"I will get Doctor Owen." The nurse said as she rushed out of the exam room.
Candy and Joshua came into the examination room. They had remained outside a few minutes because Candy was crying hysterically about Jeremy being sick and she did not want him to see her out of control.
Doctor Franklin Owen came into the exam room. "Hello, I'm Doctor Owen. My nurse said we have a very sick young man here."
Jason made all the introductions. He also told the doctor about Jeremy's headaches, the pillow incident, and his brother's brief stay in the asylum.
Doctor Owen listened intently and asked pertinent questions. He examined Jeremy. The doctor said he was not sure about the cause of the headaches.
Doctor Owen gave Jeremy a strong sedative which put him to sleep in a few minutes. Jason carried him to a hospital room. The doctor advised he would come back in a few hours to check on him.
Candy, Jason, and Joshua sat in the hospital room with Jeremy. All of them were scared.
"I wanted to ask Doctor Owen about the possibility of a brain tumor, but I couldn't bring myself to even say it." Candy whispered.
Jason and Joshua looked mournfully at their sister-in-law.
"I hate to admit it, but I'm worried that you might be correct, Candy." Joshua replied.
"Now, wait just a minute! Don't you two go burying Jeremy! A few bad headaches don't mean that it's something terrible. People have headaches for lots of reasons." Jason thundered.
"We are worried, Jason. We didn't mean to make you angry. You might need to see a doctor while we are here. You were running and fighting earlier today and carrying Jeremy tonight. Are you sure you haven't opened up that bullet wound?" Joshua asked.
"No, Josh, I'm fine. I don't need a doctor." Jason responded.
Candy walked to the bed and gave Jeremy a kiss on his lips and pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm going to walk down the hall for a few minutes. I will be back soon."
"That's fine, Candy. We will be here with Jeremy." Joshua said.
Candy left the room and walked down the hall. She couldn't get over the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with her husband. She came to a waiting area with several chairs. She took a seat and began to cry.
The young Mrs. Bolt had her face covered with her hands as she cried, all at once, someone touched her shoulder.
"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you?" A kind voice inquired.
Candy flinched and looked up. "Oh, my goodness! Reverend…. I'm sorry, I don't know your name, but I remember you. You married Jeremy and me."
"Yes! Mrs. Bolt! I thought that was you! How are you and your husband doing?" The Reverend asked. "My name is Craig Carpenter."
"Well, Reverend Carpenter, Jeremy is here in the hospital due to horrible headaches he has been having. Tonight it was so bad he was crying and retching. I'm very worried about him. The doctor doesn't know what is causing the headaches." Candy explained.
"I am sorry to hear that, Mrs. Bolt. When did your husband start having these headaches? He asked.
Candy told the Reverend about the family history with the Wallenfangs and about Jeremy going to the Blue Rose Saloon when he thought Jason had died. Candy and the pastor agreed to call each other by their first names. Craig shocked Candy when he told her that Penelope and Benjamin Wallenfang were his siblings. He assured her that he was not like them because he and the youngest brother, Chance were raised by their grandmother. Craig explained that Chance had died recently. He was found dead on Bridal Veil Mountain in Seattle.
"You are after us, aren't you? Jeremy and his brothers had nothing to do with the death of your brother. Just because they own the mountain doesn't mean they killed him." Candy got up from her seat.
"Yes, Candy, I know that. I promise I am not like my older sister and brother. They were raised by our parents who were diabolical. Our grandmother Carpenter raised Chance and me from the time we were ages two and four. She adopted us. I suspect that Benny killed Chance. Let's go see how Jeremy is doing."
Candy and Craig went to Jeremy's hospital room. They were surprised to see that Jeremy and Jason were not in the room. Joshua was dozing in his chair.
"Joshua, wake up! Where are Jeremy and Jason? Joshua!" Candy exclaimed.
"What?" Joshua murmured. He opened his eyes and looked around.
"Where's Jeremy?! What happened?!" Joshua yelled. "Where's Jason?"
"I don't know, Joshua. I just returned from my walk or rather my talk with Reverend Carpenter. He married me and Jeremy." Candy introduced the two men.
Craig Carpenter told Joshua about his connection to the Wallenfangs and how he is not like them. He also told him about Chance.
"I'm sorry about the loss of your brothers and your sister. We heard several weeks ago that Penny died some years ago and Jeremy told us that Benjamin passed away recently." Joshua spoke.
"I appreciate your condolences for Chance; however, Penny and Benny are not deceased. I don't know how that rumor got started. They own two businesses here in Olympia, the Blue Rose Saloon and the asylum." Craig replied. "Oh, no! Penny and Benny are after Jeremy to get back at Jason. I didn't put it all together until just now!"
Candy and Joshua stared at each other in fear.
"Let's go! We have to get to the Blue Rose fast!" Joshua shouted.
The three of them ran out of the room and out of the hospital.
At the Blue Rose Saloon, Jeremy went upstairs to the third door on the right. He knocked on the door. Penelope Wallenfang Harper opened the door.
"I came to tell you that I killed my brother, Jason." Jeremy smiled.