Starting Over Chapter Seven
Jason and Joshua arrived at Jeremy's cabin just as the sun was rising. They tied their horses to the hitching post and walked to the front door.
Through the window, they could see lantern light in the parlor. Jason knocked on the door. There was no response from inside. No voice calling out. No footsteps coming toward the door. Jason knocked again. There was still no response.
"Jason, maybe Jeremy is in the stable. I'll go see." Joshua ran to the building close by.
"Okay, Josh He could be in there." Jason agreed.
"Jason! Jason! Quick! Hurry!" Joshua shouted.
The eldest Bolt raced to the stable. "Joshua! What's wrong?"
"I found the buckboard in here." Joshua replied nervously.
"There's nothing the matter with the wagon being in here. Why the shouting?" Jason questioned furrowing his brow.
"Because Jason, I found Bethany's body in the buckboard. Jeremy's wife is dead." Joshua gulped.
A feeling of terror washed over Jason. "Did you find Jeremy's body?" He almost choked on the words.
"No, brother, I didn't. Hopefully, that means that he isn't… " Joshua wouldn't say the word.
"We have to find him, Josh!" Jason roared.
A frantic search of the entire structure revealed that the third brother wasn't there. Jason and Joshua ran back to the cabin. Jason got his key to the door from his wallet and unlocked it.
"Jeremy! We are coming into your house! It's us, Jason and Josh! Please answer, Jeremy! We are worried about you!" Jason bellowed.
"I'm in the washroom! I'm coming!" Jeremy shouted back.
Jason and Joshua began breathing again. 'Thank You, God!" Joshua exclaimed. "Jason, I was about gone. I kept thinking what if?"
"I know, brother! Believe me, I know!" Jason blew out a big breath.
"Jason, something awful has happened here for Bethany to be dead. Jeremy has to be crushed." Joshua whispered.
"You're right, Joshua. I guess our dreams weren't crazy after all." Jason spoke softly.
Jeremy walked into the parlor. His brothers gasped. The youngest Bolt had been stabbed in the shoulder. It was bleeding terribly. Jeremy was not wearing a shirt. He was attempting to hold some cloths on the wound to stop the bleeding.
"Jeremy! What happened?!" Joshua demanded as he and Jason got their baby brother by the arms.
"Here, Jeremy, sit down on the sofa. Let me tend to that wound." Jason spoke calmly.
Jeremy sat down. He sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Jason straightened the cloths on his brother's shoulder holding them firmly in place.
"Jeremy, we found Bethany's body in the stable. Do you want to talk about what happened?" asked Jason.
"That's not Bethany's body. That's her twin sister, Brooke. She tried to shoot me. I had to kill her in self defense. Mrs. Oates and Ebon were here. They can back me up." Jeremy closed his eyes.
"Jeremy! We are your brothers! You don't need back up with us! We believe you!" Joshua exclaimed.
"Josh, go get the medical pack from the washroom and bring lots of towels too, please." Jason requested. "And bring Jeremy a large cup of water."
"I don't need any water, Jason" Jeremy opened his eyes. He studied his brother's face. "Bethany is in the guest room asleep."
"Sure, Jason." Joshua patted Jeremy on the back before he left the room.
"Yes, you need lots of water since you are losing blood, Jeremy. I think there is a very involved story of what has happened here in the last several hours. Am I right?" Jason looked his youngest sibling in the eye.
"Yes, you are right, brother." Jeremy blinked back tears. "I will tell you and Josh when he comes back.
"Hey. Jeremy!" Joshua called from the kitchen. "There is some milk in a saucepan on the stove. Do you want me to heat it for you?"
"No thanks, Josh. Water is fine." Jeremy replied.
Joshua returned to the parlor with the items Jason had asked him to get. He handed the cup of water to Jeremy and the other things to Jason.
As Joshua sat down on the sofa, Jason applied more pressure to Jeremy's stab wound. "This is deeper than I thought. We have to take you to the hospital, brother."
"Okay but let me tell you what happened before we go." Jeremy spoke.
"Alright, go ahead." Jason agreed.
Jeremy told his siblings about Brooke, the handcuffs, and the snake. He told them about Bethany losing the baby. Young Bolt told them about Ward Kimberly getting Brooke out of the asylum so she would help him kill him (Jeremy) and Bethany. Jeremy explained that Ward Kimberly kidnapped Candy and Katie and their whereabouts are unknown. The youngest brother told them why he killed Brooke and the reason her body was in the stable.
"Damn, Jeremy! I'm sorry, brother. Especially about the baby." Joshua spoke.
"Thanks, Josh." Jeremy pressed his lips together.
"Brother, I'm sorry too about the loss of your child. I know how much you and Bethany want a family." Jason sympathized. "Jeremy, when and how and why did you get stabbed?" Jason worried.
"Thank you, Jason. We are heartbroken about the baby. Well, I guess I need to tell you and Josh the other story about me being stabbed." Jeremy's voice trembled.
"Take your time, Jeremy. Your stab wound has stopped bleeding. We don't have to rush to take you to the hospital unless you feel like you need to go now." Jason stated.
"No, I can wait. Last night after things settled down, Bethany and I finally went to bed. We cried again about the baby and then we went to sleep. A few hours later, I woke up when I heard Bethany moving around in the bedroom. I asked her if she was okay. She said yes she was going to get some warm milk. I told her I would get it for her and she should rest. She agreed and got back in bed." Jeremy paused.
The youngest brother grabbed his shoulder wincing in pain. "Maybe we should go now, Jeremy. You can tell us this later." Joshua suggested.
Jeremy looked at his blond brother. "No, Josh. I can make it."
He continued, "I came down to the kitchen. I poured some milk in the saucepan. Then Bethany walked in. I told her she didn't have to come downstairs, I was getting the milk for her. I told her to go back to bed she needed to rest. She said she wanted to tell me something first. I asked what she wanted to say."
Jeremy stopped talking. He leaned back. He made a face so full of pain that Jason and Joshua grimaced.
"Come on, brother. You don't have to talk about this right now. Let's get you to the hospital. I think you are getting a fever. We don't want that to get out of hand." Jason tried to persuade him.
"I need to talk about what happened. Just give me a minute, okay?" asked Jeremy.
"Alright, baby brother." Jason grinned at the scowl on Jeremy's face. He reached for a blanket that was on the back of the sofa and wrapped it around Jeremy.
"What did Bethany say, Jeremy?" Joshua inquired.
Jeremy pulled the blanket tighter around him. "She said, uh, she said, well, she said you shot the wrong one. She said you killed B-B-Bethany! She said you killed your own wife!" Jeremy sobbed loudly.
"Jeremy!" Jason said soothingly. "You didn't kill Bethany. It was Brooke, her sister. You told us both of them were in the bedroom. Brooke was wearing a negligee and I'm assuming that Bethany was wearing a dress not any type of nightgown. So you knew that Brooke was the one Ebon took to the stable room. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, that's right, J-J-Jason. But what if Brooke changed places with Bethany somehow? I mean I didn't even know Brooke wasn't Bethany there in our bedroom earlier." Jeremy lamented.
"They were identical twins. You didn't know Bethany had a twin so it's normal that you didn't notice any difference with Brooke," Joshua offered. "Did you suspect any difference before you found out they were twins?"
"I wondered why Bethany was wearing the fancy bedclothes. I questioned her about the handcuffs. She doesn't seem like the type for that. And I was frightened and a little angry when she brought that rattlesnake in the room. However, she said things were dull and boring and she wanted to be a little naughty." Young Bolt replied.
"Well, that makes sense as to why you couldn't tell them apart." Jason spoke.
Jeremy dropped his head. "What if I killed the wrong one, Jason? What if I shot and killed my own wife?"
"Try to take it easy, Jeremy. You didn't kill your wife." Jason responded.
Jeremy looked up at his oldest brother. "How do you know, Jason? How can you be sure?" Jeremy's eyes begged for an answer.
Jason sighed. "Let's think again about when Brooke was taken to the stable room. Did Bethany go with them or leave the bedroom the same time as they did?"
"No, Bethany didn't go with them. She was sitting in the armchair in the bedroom. I was on the bed about to get up. I was rubbing my wrists after Ebon took off those handcuffs. Right after I got up, Mrs. Oates took Bethany to the washroom. She was feeling awful from losing the baby. Oh, no! As Ebon was leaving the bedroom with Brooke, I told him to get her a sandwich and some water. That gave them an excuse to go in the kitchen. What if Mrs. Oates took Bethany to the kitchen instead of the washroom and they were swapped. Oh, hell! It could have been Bethany that I killed! "Jeremy sobbed again.
"Jeremy, remember you told us that Ebon was afraid that you would whip his ass and get Jason and me after him so it's most likely that he and his mother didn't swap the sisters." Joshua told him.
"I know what you're saying, Josh. But you know Ebon." Jeremy hiccuped.
Joshua nodded at Young Bolt in agreement.
"Let's look at this another way, brother. Was there enough time for the Oates to swap the twins and for Ma Oates and a sister to get from the kitchen to the washroom? They would not have done the swap in the hall outside the bedroom. It would have been too easy for Bethany to cry out to let you know what was happening." Jason said.
"No there wasn't enough time, Jason. I got up and got dressed and went to the washroom fast after Bethany left the room because I was worried about her. Why would Bethany tell me that she is Brooke and that I killed Bethany? Jeremy was confused.
"I don't understand that either, Jeremy. How did you get stabbed?" asked Jason.
"After Bethany said she was Brooke and that I had killed my own wife, she started laughing like a crazy person. She kept saying over and over that I killed my wife. At one point, she said only a heartless bastard would kill his wife. Bethany grabbed the large knife and told me that she was going to slice open my chest to show me that I didn't have a heart." Jeremy shuddered.
"Dear, God, brother!" Jason exclaimed.
Jeremy looked sadly at Jason. Joshua put his arm around the youngest brother very gingerly.
"Go ahead, Jeremy. Get the rest of it out so you can start to try to forget it." Joshua spoke kindly.
"Okay, Josh. I had to fight off Bethany. She wouldn't listen to reason and she wouldn't calm down. She kept laughing and yelling that I was a heartless bastard and she was going to show me. I couldn't get the knife away from her. It was like she had the strength of five men. I didn't want to punch her in the face so I slapped the hell out of her and she dropped the knife. Both of us scrambled for it, and she got it from the floor. When she came up with it, I tried to jump out of her range but she was quick and she got me in the shoulder. When I screamed in pain, Bethany was herself again. She cried and apologized for what she had done. Then she fainted and I carried her to the guest room." Jeremy buried his face in his hands.
Jason frowned at Jeremy. He touched his brother's forehead with the back of his hand.
"We have to go now. We can't wait any longer. Jeremy, your fever is getting worse. Josh, get Bethany from the guest room, please. Jeremy, I'm sorry for all that has happened to you and Bethany. Maybe Bethany had some kind of breakdown due to losing the baby. We can ask Doctor Wright about that. I will check with Ben about wiring Matthew about Candy and Ward Kimberly. The telegraph lines have been down from here to Texas for the past several days. Hopefully they are repaired by now." Jason said helping Jeremy stand up from the sofa.
Jason hurried to remove Brooke's body from the back of the buckboard while Joshua held Bethany. Jeremy was leaning against the hitching post at the porch.
After placing Brooke's wrapped body in a bed of hay in the stable, he brought out the wagon. He hitched Brownie and his and Joshua's horses to the buckboard.
Jason placed a thick pallet of blankets in the back and then helped Jeremy get in and lie down. Joshua gently placed Bethany beside him.
"I love her so much. She has to be alright." Jeremy stroked her hair.
"She will be fine, Jeremy." Joshua assured him as he climbed in the back with them. "I'm in, Jason!"
"Yah! Yah!" Jason told the horses. They galloped toward Seattle.
Jeremy fell asleep on the way. Joshua made sure he and Bethany were covered well by their blankets.
It was about nine o clock when they arrived at the hospital. Doctor Wright was in Bridgewater delivering a baby. Rachel Sullivan was covering for her in her absence.
Jeremy's fever had gotten worse during the trip to town. Rachel asked her husband, Will, to set up the steam tent for Jeremy. While he was doing that, Rachel examined the youngest brother. She found another knife wound on his right forearm. His brothers had not seen that injury. Jeremy had not mentioned it. They figured that it was a defense wound and he might not have been aware of it.
Rachel said the linear wound was not deep, but it appeared to be getting infected. She quickly cleansed it and bandaged the area.
Will brought in the steam tent. Joshua helped him set it up in one of the rooms while Jason stayed with Jeremy in the exam room.
Joshua had brought in Bethany when they arrived and placed her in another exam room. As soon as Jeremy was placed under the steam tent, Rachel examined Bethany. Before she left Jeremy's room, Jason told her about the loss of the baby.
The smell of sulfur in Jeremy's room was unpleasant to say the least, but Jason and Joshua remained by their brother's side. They were always frightened when he developed a fever.
Will stopped by Lottie's to let her know that Jeremy and his wife were in the hospital. Some of the loggers and sawmill workers were beginning to come in for lunch. Will asked some of them to help remove sulfur from bullets for Jeremy's steam tent. They agreed. Billy Sawdust ran to Ben's Store and got several boxes of bullets for them to use.
Some of the men were eating and some of them were working on the bullets when the noon stagecoach arrived about an hour later. Lottie was behind the bar with her back to the door when someone called her name.
"Lottie! Oh, Lottie! I have missed you!" Candy exclaimed coming through the door.
Lottie whirled around. A huge smile came to her face along with tears in her eyes. "Candy, sweetheart! It is wonderful to see you! Oh! And here is Aunt Lottie's new little sweetheart! Let me have that baby!" She hurried across the room to Candy and Katie.
Candy smiled brightly as she handed the baby to Lottie. Candy's eyes darted around the room quickly.
"Jeremy is not here, Candy." Lottie told her without looking away from the baby.
"Well, I was hoping he would be here for lunch so that he could see Katie right away. Maybe he and his brothers will come in soon." Candy replied hopefully.
There was a commotion at the door. Matthew Dillon, Kitty Russell, Doc Adams, Newly O'Brien, and Clancy came in had been detained outside when Clancy had seen his nephew, Newly right before he came into the saloon.
Candy glanced at the group who had accompanied her and Katie to Seattle. Just as she was going to take Lottie over and introduce her to Aunt Kitty and her friends, she noticed some of the men removing sulfur from bullets.
"Who is the sulfur for, Lottie?" The read haired girl asked.
"Oh, Candy! I got so excited about seeing you and the baby, I didn't tell you! Jeremy is in the hospital with a stab wound and a fever. Jason and Joshua brought him in a little while ago." Lottie replied.
"A fever! Oh, no! And for them to need the sulfur that means he is in the steam tent! Oh, dear! Lottie, the red haired woman by the door is my Aunt Kitty. Please tell her that I had to go see Jeremy. She will introduce you to the gentlemen with her. Please keep Katie until I get back! Thank you!" Candy spoke worriedly.
"Of course, sweetheart." Lottie made her way toward Kitty.
Candy ran out the back door of the saloon. She ran all the way to the hospital. She stopped at the front door to try to regain her composure. She knew that Jeremy was happily married to another woman. However, she couldn't help but still be concerned about him. And when she allowed herself to admit it, she still loved him in a way.
"I'm ready." She told herself aloud as she walked into the hospital.
Candy found Jeremy's hospital room. The door was open so she stepped inside quietly. Jason and Joshua were sitting by their brother's bed with their backs to the door. Jeremy was asleep.
"Excuse me." Candy said very quietly.
The two older brothers looked behind them. They smiled when they saw her.
"Candy!" Jason tried to exclaim quietly. "Are you alright? Where is the baby? Please tell us that nothing's happened to her!"
"Oh, Jason! Katie is just fine. She is with Lottie. Hello, Joshua." Candy replied.
"Hi, Candy! When did you and Katie get into town?" Joshua asked.
"Less than an hour ago. My Aunt Kitty and some friends came with us. Matthew tried to wire you in every town where we stopped. But the lines were down. What happened to Jeremy?" Candy gazed at him lying in the bed.
"The doctor says he is going to make a full recovery. He was stabbed in the shoulder and he has developed a high fever." Jason told her.
"Stabbed?" Candy shivered. "Why? And by who? Where is his wife?"
"It's a long involved story, Candy." Joshua answered.
"Jeremy's wife, Bethany is a patient here too. She lost a child last night." Jason spoke somberly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have jumped to some crazy conclusion in my mind. I was thinking that she just wasn't here. Please don't tell her or Jeremy that I thought that. I'm ashamed of myself." Candy apologized.
"We won't say anything to them, Candy. Don't worry. You're tired. You and the baby have been through a lot and traveling by stagecoach is not easy." Joshua replied.
"Thank you, Joshua. You too, Jason. Is it alright if I sit on the side of Jeremy's bed?" Candy asked looking at her former fiancé.
"Yes, that's okay, Candy." Jason turned his head slightly.
Miss Pruitt sat down on the edge of the bed. She didn't take her eyes off of Jeremy.
"Is it okay for me to touch him?" She asked in a soft whisper.
"Sure, it's okay, Candy. You don't need permission." Joshua answered.
"Yes, I do need permission. My Jeremy, uh, I mean, Jeremy is married to another woman." She replied with her eyes still fixed on his face.
Jason and Joshua exchanged a glance. Joshua nodded at his oldest brother.
"Miss Pruitt, would you do us a favor, please? Would you stay here with Jeremy while Josh and I go stretch our legs for a few minutes? We won't be long." Asked Jason.
"Yes, I will be glad to do that for you. Take your time. I know Lottie and Aunt Kitty want Katie to themselves for awhile. Thank you, Jason. Who is sitting with Jeremy's wife?" asked Candy.
"You're welcome, Candy. Biddie is sitting with Bethany." Jason told her.
The two brothers got up to leave the room. Joshua smiled and nodded at Candy as they left.
Candy sat holding Jeremy's hand for a few minutes. She gently brushed his bangs from his eyes. She marveled at how much Katie resembled her father.
She let go of Jeremy's hand and got up. She knelt beside the bed.
Candy placed her head on Jeremy's chest. When she heard his heartbeat, she sighed.
"Oh, Jeremy! I still love you! I know I'm not supposed to, but I do! I should have never let you go!" Candy burst into tears.
Suddenly, she felt someone stroking her hair. She heard a faint whisper.
"Candy, don't cry." Jeremy murmured.
Same bat channel…