The next day Candy and Biddie entered the cabin. It was a bittersweet moment for Candyóthis was to have been her home with Jeremy and entering with Biddie was not the way she had planned on entering her home after her marriage. She had asked Biddie to come with her to the cabin because she wanted to see if things could be easily set up to allow Jeremy to convalesce in his new home.

"Oh, Candy!" said Biddie excitedly, "Didn't the girls do a nice job of decorating your new home?" She frowned suddenly as she realized that the wedding decorations were no longer appropriate. "Oh, I'm sorry, Candy."

Candy wasn't paying too much attention to her friend. She was busy mentally calculating where a small bed could fit to give Jeremy a place where he would be able to see everything going on in the cabin. She wanted to be able to watch him while she cooked and to be able to hold hands with him in the evening by the fire...

000

"Joshua! Are you busy?" Allyn Wright asked. It was obvious he was busy as he picked up another crate from the dock and carried it over to the wagon, but Allyn needed to talk to him.

The blond logger gave her an amused look as he placed the crate down in the back of the wagon and pushed it back to make room for the others he had to move. "No, I'm not busy. What can I do for you?" He headed back for the next crate of supplies.

"I want to talk to you about your brother. I'm concerned about him."

Joshua immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Is Jeremy all right?" he asked.

"Jeremy's fineóOh well, as fine as can be under the circumstances. It's Jason, I'm concerned about."

Joshua looked puzzled. "Jason? What about?"

Allyn didn't want to talk about her concerns in public so they headed back to her office. She felt comfortable walking next to him and hoped that she wasn't going to unduly upset him. Joshua was usually the calm voice of reason among the three Bolts and she was counting on him.

000

"Good afternoon!" called Candy as she stepped around the curtain.

Jeremy was lying quietly awake. He was looking over at the window. He didn't hear Candy the first time she called his name.

"Hey, Jeremy?" she tried again. Her worried expression caused her brow to wrinkle. She walked over to his bed.

"Oh...hi, Candy," he answered, a little embarrassed. "Didn't hear you come in..."

"Where were you?" she teasingly asked.

" Uh, in another world.., I guess."

Candy only nodded at him and sat down on the stool by the head of his bed.

"Guess where I've been?" her eyes sparkled.

Jeremy propped himself up on his pillow with much effort. He grimaced from the pain that stubbornly remained in his chest. He smiled at Candy and answered, "Where?"

"Our home."

"Oh, I see..." he replied quietly. "You mean the place where most people go after they get married."

"Jeremy, don't start that," she sat forward on the stool quickly. "None of this was your fault, you know that."

"B-but still..."

"Well, the important thing is that you're still here with me! I stopped by the cabin to figure out how to make things easiest when I take you home..."

"Take me home?" he interrupted.

"Why yes, Jeremy!" she giggled. "You will be coming home, soon I hope, and I need to get things ready," she explained and blushed just slightly. After all, I am your wife now, you're my responsibility."

"I don't wanna be your responsibility!" Jeremy rolled hard onto his back and sighed disgustedly.

"Jeremy! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that when you married me I was a healthy man, I'm not right now." Jeremy frowned as he continued to explain his decision to his bride. "I'm not comin' home with you until I'm well..."

"You plan to stay here?" she asked surprised.

"No, I'm goin' home with Jason and Joshua...they can keep an eye on me..."

Candy stood up abruptly, obviously upset. "Jeremy, we're married now! We are supposed to be living under the same roof...not me at the dormitory and you at your cabin!"

"Don't you think I know that?" he answered, raising his voice more from frustration than anger. "Candy, when we start our married life together, I want it to be right...not like this."

"Then I'll stay with you and your brothers!"

"No, there's not enough room...and I don't want you havin' to take care of me!"

"Don't you remember our wedding vows, Mister Bolt? I seem to remember something about promising to care for one another in sickness and in health!"

"Candy," he said her name softly. "Come here..."

Candy walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She tilted her chin up defiantly as he started to speak.

"I remember making those same promises too. I love you for wanting to t-take care of me...and I do want you to care for me...but I'm not starting out our married life, in our new home, laid up like this. P-please understand..."

"Why don't you want me with you at your cabin then?"

" 'Cause I've still got a lot of healin' to do. Candy, I don't even think I'm strong enough to walk by myself and do other things by myself...I don't want you seeing all that!" he finished, embarrassed.

"Can I come and see you during the day? Or is that off-limits too?"

"I hope you'll come..."

Jeremy reached his hand to Candy, wanting her to take it. Instead, she stood up and looked at him briefly. It pained Jeremy to see the hurt and rejection in her eyes, that had not been his intent.

Candy broke his stare, by abruptly leaving the room.

000

"Candy?" called Jason. He was walking to Dr. Wright's clinic to see Jeremy when he noticed Candy stomp out and close the door hard behind her.

"What, Jason?" she said, irritated.

Jason picked up his stride and trotted over to her. "Anything wrong? Jeremy all right?"

"Everything is wrong!" she cried.

"What?" answered Jason alarmed. He wrongly assumed something adverse must have occurred with Jeremy's health.

"He doesn't want me for his wife anymore!" she exclaimed.

"What?" said Jason , thoroughly confused. "You mean Jeremy's all right then?"

"Physically he's the same...quiet, laying there staring out that window," she glanced back over her shoulder and tilted her head in the direction of Jeremy's room.

"I don't understand Candy. What do you mean he doesn't want you for his wife anymore?"

"I told him I went by our cabin today, you know, to figure out where I needed everything for when I bring him home." Candy looked down at the ground and bit her lip. "Jason, he won't come home with me..."

"What reason did he give you?"

"Oh, " she started and looked back up at her tall brother-in-law. "He said he doesn't want to start out our married life recuperating, doesn't want me to see him like that everyday...Jason, I love him...it doesn't matter to me. I'll gladly take care of him, do anything for him..."

"Candy, I know that, and so does Jeremy--I'm sure. Candy, when a man takes a bride he, well, he wants to care for her and protect her...be the man of the house. You understand?"

"Of course, but none of this was Jeremy's fault!"

"I know that, but I think he might be feeling a little like he's failed you. I've been worried about him, Candy...him being so docile--not like Jeremy. I think it might be a good idea too for Jeremy to stay at the cabin with me and Joshua for a while. I've already talked to him about it..."

" What! Jason, Jeremy and I are married now. He should be home with me!"

"Another thing, Candy," Jason continued, seemingly ignoring her last comment. "There's this business about these visions or hallucinations, whatever you want to call them. He's so certain it really happened. I think they are consuming his thoughts!"

"That worries me, too, Jason! That's why I want him home with me. Oh, I don't know what to do!" Candy said, exasperated, stomping her foot.

" Candy, do what your husband is asking you to do...give him some time."

"How much, Jason?" Candy wiped away a tear. This was supposed to be the happiest time in her life. Instead, the man she loved desperately had brushed with death, and now, that he was improving, he was shutting her out. "You should have spoken with me first about him staying with youóyou shouldn't have talked to Jeremy about it yet!"

"I think I know what's best for my brother!" Jason took a deep breath and tried to calm his irritation with his new sister-in-law. "It won't be too long, Candy. Josh and I will be with him all the time...and you too. He didn't say he didn't want to see you!"

"No, he didn't say that....Not yet anyway..."

"Just give him some time, let him feel whole again. The two of you have a lifetime together..." Jason glanced over at the clinic. "Think I'll go and see him for a short while."

"Guess I'll go on back to Lottie's, then!" she answered. She had been staying there since the shooting. The older woman's calm reassurance was definitely helping Candy get through this difficult and frightening time.

Jason watched Candy walk across the square to Lottie's. She was angry and he knew it. But he wasn't going to concern himself with her just yet. Getting Jeremy back, all the way back was first and foremost in his mind.

000

Allyn and Joshua entered the medical clinic. They glanced quickly in on Jeremy on their way to Allyn's office. He was laying quietly looking out the window. One of the brides who occasionally assisted Allyn was sitting by his bed watching over him. Allyn was not comfortable enough with Jeremy's condition to leave him by himself for any length of time.

"How is he doing?" asked Allyn.

"Fine. His breathing seems even. He's not complaining...just lying there quietly." Amy acknowledged.

"Is he asleep?"

"No. His eyes are open. I thought at one point...," she looked a bit embarrassed, realizing that Joshua was there, too.

"What?" asked Allyn.

"I got nervous because he's been laying like that all afternoon. I could tell he was breathing, but he's so quiet. Didn't want to talk at all." Amy didn't look at Joshua as she spoke.

Allyn's response was quietly spoken, but brisk since she wanted to speak to Joshua. "He was critically injured. He needs to be as quiet and still as possible, so I would say you have been pretty lucky. And if you had a concern about him you were to tell me immediately."

"Yes, ma'am...Doctor," Amy apologized. She gave a slight curtsey and turned back to her patient.

Joshua was surprised at how firm Dr. Wright had been. "Weren't you a little tough with her?"

"No. When a patient's life is at stake, there is no room for indecision." Allyn turned and continued to her office. Joshua quickly followed after her, wondering if Amy wasn't cut out for the job, would there be enough people in Seattle for Allyn to find one who was.

Allyn motioned to a chair in her office and Joshua sat down. She sat in the chair behind her desk, which lent an air of formality to the discussion.

"I didn't want other people to overhear, but I am very concerned about Jason," she said.

Joshua gave Allyn his full attention. "Why?"

"Jason is under a lot of stress. He is concerned about Jeremy, which is understandable, but this business about Jeremy after your mother died...He seems very troubled by it. I suggested that he talk to Jeremy about it, but he refused."

"Life really got rough for Jeremy after Mother died...none of us like to talk about it. And we don't like to remind Jeremy of it either. I bet that's why Jason doesn't want to talk to him."

"Maybe," Allyn leaned forward in her chair resting on her elbows. "There's something that you and that hard-headed, big brother of yours are going to have to come to terms with, though."

"What's that?"

"Something happened to Jeremy, I don't know how to explain it. But ever since he came to, he's been trying to talk to someoneóanyoneóabout his experience. I think he wants his two brothers to at least listen to him." Allyn got up out of her chair and walked around to the front of the desk and leaned back against it. "Maybe you won't believe what he says, maybe you will, but you should at least listen."

Joshua stood up. He remembered that Jeremy had tried to talk to him about "seeing" their mother. Joshua wrote this off as Jeremy just being confused and weak. He was as guilty as Jason was in not taking their brother seriously. He felt badly about that now.

He looked at Allyn thoughtfully. "I'll speak to Jason; then we'll both talk to Jeremy."

"All right then...see you later."

Joshua left Allyn's office. He again glanced in on Jeremy. Amy remained at his bedside, she was reading to him. From the look on Jeremy's face though, he knew that his brother wasn't hearing a word she said. On impulse, he decided to talk to Jeremy now. Amy looked relieved when he asked her to leave.

"Jeremy? How are you feeling?" Joshua asked, taking over Amy's seat. Jeremy turned to look at him.

"Fine, Josh. How are you?"

"Concerned about you."

"Why?" Jeremy was glad to see Joshua alone. Joshua would level with him, whereas the others, including Jason, would temper their words to avoid upsetting him.

Joshua feigned surprise. "Well, Jeremy, you were shot!"

"And I've been talkin' about our mother."

"Yes...," Joshua was embarrassed. "Yes...You've gotten everyone worried, Jeremy."

"I'm..I'm s-sorry." Now it was Jeremy's turn to be embarrassed, but it didn't last long. "Why?"

"Well, you know...." Joshua knew he should ask his brother to continue, but hoped he would speak up on his own. But, he realized looking at Jeremy's expression, that his younger brother really had no idea that it was his talk of their mother that was worrying people. It had been so long since Joshua had discussed their mother with Jeremy, he wasn't sure how. "Jeremy, you've never discussed Mother before...and it was like you were talking right to her."

"About what?" he asked curiously.

This was getting annoying, Joshua thought. "Dr. Wright said she thought you wanted to talk about it to someone."

"I've tried, b-but Jason and Candy don't want to hear it."

"What about me?"

Jeremy turned his face away from Joshua, and Joshua was afraid that maybe he pressed too hard.

"I was with her, Josh. It was really strange..., b-b-but nice, somehow. I think maybe I was dead."

"What did she say, Jeremy?"

His brother smiled peacefully and sighed a little. "It's f-funny. I don't really remember. I-I think I t-told her I got married and that I-I s-stuttered. She s-said it was all right."

Joshua wondered if Jeremy meant that their mother had said it was all right that he had gotten married or that he stuttered. He noticed that his brother was stuttering more than usual, but that Jeremy hadn't seemed to notice.

Jeremy was starting to doze off again. Joshua tucked the covers gently around him and went to the door and called Amy back in to watch him.

000