by Janet
Disclaimer: The characters and situations
of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four
Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the
author. The ideas expressed in this
story are copyrighted to the author.
On a crisp October morning in 1876, thirty-two year old Jarrod Barkley
was riding to his office in Stockton.
He had been a practicing lawyer for the past eight years and his law
practice had spread from Stockton to San Francisco as well. Jarrod only wished that his father, Tom
Barkley, could have been around to enjoy his son’s career. Tom had told Jarrod on many occasions when
he was young that he would be a famous man some day. Now that day was here and Tom wasn’t. He had been killed by the railroad almost six years ago. How
Jarrod longed for those late evening talks that they used to have in the study
of their home where they would discuss careers and go over the business end of
running the Barkley Ranch.
“Jarrod,” Tom said one evening after dinner, “you have made me the happiest man
in Stockton.”
“I have?” Jarrod asked not sure what Tom
was talking about.
“Yes,” Tom answered. “You have offered
to run the business end of the ranch while Nick runs the ranch. You will be a big help to your brother.”
“I know,” Jarrod said smiling. “I did
go to college and then law school. I
might as well put that education to good use.
And I’d trust Nick about horses or cows but the books and financial part
of running the ranch; I wouldn’t trust him with. Nick is not very good with accounts and ledgers.”
“That I know,” Tom replied. “Your
brother is a hands on man. You on the
other hand are a deep thinker. I’m
proud of both of you boys. You will go
a long way son. Remember that.”
“I will father,” Jarrod told him.
And Jarrod had never forgotten what his father taught him.
“I will continue to make you proud father,” he said out loud as he rode.
Jarrod had been forced on the day his father died to assume the role as male
head of the family. He knew that his
mother, Victoria, was still the head of the family but he also knew that Audra
and Gene needed a man’s guidance as well as their mother’s. He had tried his best with both of them. Audra was just as stubborn as Nick was with
a rebellious side also. She didn’t like it when Jarrod had to discipline her.
Gene didn’t like the idea of having his oldest brother trying to run his life.
Jarrod had tried to put his own life back together after literally falling
apart after his father died. He was trying
to be so strong for the rest of the family that he neglected himself and almost
paid the price for it. Nick had stepped in and made him confront his fears and
his own loss. Jarrod had since that day
looked at Nick differently. He was not
that wild maverick that he always thought Nick was. He cared about his family.
The two brothers had never been closer.
Then came that day almost two months ago when a young stranger had asked for a
job. Nick had hired him on Jarrod’s
recommendation. That evening, Nick had
gotten into a fight with him. That’s
when he dropped a bombshell.
“I’m your father’s bastard son,” he had said to Nick in the barn after the
fight.
After hearing this news, the two immediately went into the house where Nick
called both Jarrod and Eugene. None of
them really believed what this young man had said. They trusted their father
and didn’t think he was capable of doing this to their mother. Then their
mother had remembered the trip Tom had made to Strawberry. She knew in her heart that this young man
was indeed Tom’s son. It took the
others more time to come to terms with what their father had done. But they too accepted Heath as their
brother. And each one had come to love
and respect him.
Now Jarrod was on his way to town. The
sky was clear as a mountain stream and the sun was just coming up over the tops
of the trees lightly blowing in wind.
The ground was covered with frosty dew.
He had his mind on a recent financial worry that almost cost his mother
a lot of money.
A ruthless businessman named Nathan Chadway had approached Victoria about
investing in some stock certificates that he had. She had asked Jarrod to investigate Chadway to see if he was on
the level. What Jarrod uncovered showed
that there were no certificates and he informed several wealthy people in the
valley that had also been approached to invest and they all declined Chadway’s
offer. After that Chadway was apprehended and jailed but he escaped after
losing everything he had in the world.
As Jarrod rode, his mind was on several cases he had. One of them concerned a bank employee in San
Francisco who had allegedly stolen or embezzled over $50,000. He was pretty sure that the man was innocent
but there was a lot of circumstantial evidence and Jarrod was trying to wade
through it. Another case concerned a dispute over a property line between two
old and dear friends in the valley. He had known both men his whole life and
was certain he could straighten this out fairly quickly. He wasn’t paying
attention to his surroundings and didn’t see the shadow of a man that was
following him. He was a very tall,
lanky man with dark hair and beard. He
smiled as stalked his prey.
When Jarrod was well away from the ranch and before he got close to Stockton,
he felt something around his chest. He
was pulled off his horse and landed hard on the dirt road on his back. The
horse only went a few feet from him and stopped. When he regained his senses a
few minutes later, he realized that a rope was around his waist. As he tried to stand, he felt another tug
and was pulled back to the ground.
Jarrod looked around and saw a man approach from behind him holding the
other end of the rope and a pistol. As
Jarrod again tried to stand, the man quickly dismounted.
“I suppose you’re wondering what this is about?” he asked.
“I was curious yes,” Jarrod answered.
“You aren’t going to town,” he said walking over to Jarrod. “You’re coming with me to see a man.”
“I’m not going any where with you,” Jarrod replied. “I don’t know what this is all about.”
Before Jarrod could say anything more, the man struck him on the back of the
head with the butt of his pistol.
Jarrod’s eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the hard ground
unconscious. The man stood there for a
minute looking down at his captive.
Then he tied Jarrod’s hands together and also his feet. Next he threw him over the horse’s back
securing him across the saddle. He took
hold of Jarrod’s horse’s reins and led the animal to a small cabin in a wooded
area about five miles west of Stockton.
The cabin had been abandoned by the way it looked but it served the
man’s purpose. There were gaps in the
wood that let air come in and there were several small holes in the floor of
one of the rooms.
As the man rode up to the cabin, two men came out of the door. They helped him untie Jarrod and pull him
from the horse. They guided the
unconscious man inside where his warm coat was removed and he was tied to a
chair in front of a large mahogany desk.
There was a man sitting at that desk.
“Art,” he said, “wake him up.”
“Yeah,” Art replied leaving the room.
He returned a few moments later with a small bucket of water, which he threw
into Jarrod’s face. Jarrod moaned and
then slowly opened his eyes. When he
looked at the man sitting behind the desk, recognition dawned.
As Jarrod came to, he realized that the man sitting behind the desk
was Nathan Chadway.
“I see you recognize me,” Chadway said smiling an evil smile that told Jarrod
he meant business.
“What’s this all about?” Jarrod asked trying to reason his way out of the
situation.
“You stopped your mother and several others from investing in my little
venture,” he answered. “Now, I’m going
to teach you a lesson and get rich in the process.”
“You can’t be serious,” Jarrod said as he realized what Chadway had in mind.
Chadway stood walking around the desk.
When he was standing right in front of Jarrod, he leaned over looking
him right in the eye. Then he
backhanded him hard across the left side of the face.
“You took everything I had boy,” he said sticking a needle into his arm. “I want you to pay for what you’ve
done. And of course that pretty mother
of yours will pay dearly to get her son back.”
“She won’t either,” Jarrod replied not realizing that he had been injected with
something.
He was still smarting from the slap across the face.
“You can’t do anything to me that
someone hasn’t already tried,” Jarrod said.
“Oh really,” he replied. “We’ll see
about that. Art, Sam, take him to his
quarters and make him as comfortable as possible.”
“Yeah,” Sam said.
They untied Jarrod pulling him roughly to his feet. They took him behind the cabin where there was a small metal box
the size of a wagon bed in the ground six feet deep. The two men forced him inside.
“You can’t be serious,” Jarrod said as he was pushed inside.
“Get in there,” Art replied pushing him.
The box was so cold it bit into Jarrod’s body like a sharp knife. The door was closed and he was alone in the
dark. There wasn’t even enough room to
straighten out. He sat with his knees
pulled up in front of him trying to keep the bitter cold metal from his body.
Back inside the cabin, Chadway looked up as the two men walked back in.
“Is he locked up?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Sam answered. “We haven’t
covered him up yet. We wanted to know
if you wanted to see him any more.”
“Good,” he said smiling. “Let’s wait
until the ransom note is sent to bury him.
Just think they’ll never find him.
He’ll be buried alive. And that drug I gave him will help him die quite
painfully and if he somehow does survive, he’ll be permanently insane.”
“Yeah,” Sam said grinning. “When do you want me to deliver the ransom note?”
“As soon as I see Barkley one more time,” Chadway replied. “I want him to know what’s going to happen to
him.”
The two men went to the box, opening it. Jarrod squinted as the sunlight hit
his face. They each took one of Jarrod’s arms and guided him back into the
cabin where he was pushed into a chair.
His eyes were having trouble adjusting to the light.
“I just wanted to make sure that you were satisfied with your new quarters,”
Chadway said mockingly. “I also wanted
you to know that you will be buried alive in that metal box. No one will be able to find you.”
“You can’t be serious,” Jarrod replied beginning to feel the effects of the
drug. “I won’t be able to breathe.”
“That’s the general idea,” Chadway told him.
“You are going to bring $50,000 from your mother but she won’t ever find
you so she’ll end up dying herself.”
“You wouldn’t,” Jarrod challenged starting to come out of the chair. “I won’t let you.”
“You’re in no position to stop me,” he said smiling and easily pushed him back
in the chair. “Oh and by the way, if
you somehow survive you won’t be worth much.
You’ll be crazy and probably spend the rest of your life locked up. Take
him and lock him up. Then bury him.”
“No!” Jarrod screamed as the two men escorted him from the room. “Please! You don’t realize what you’re
doing.”
“Yes I do,” Chadway said as he watched Jarrod leave the room.
Once inside the metal box, Jarrod fought to keep from going mad as he heard the
dirt being thrown in on top of him. His heart was pounding in his chest. Unless
he was able to somehow free himself this would be his final resting-place. He
began to feel the drug starting to take effect on him. His mind was having a
hard time understanding what was happening to him. Finally, he passed out.
Chadway wrote a ransom note demanding $50,000 for the safe return of Jarrod.
“Unfortunately,” he said looking up at his cohorts, “they won’t know that he is
never going to be found alive.”
“You want me to tie it to his horse?” Art asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “Make sure the
animal arrives at the ranch.”
“Right,” Art said leaving the cabin.
He walked outside to Jarrod’s horse. He
attached the note to the saddle and sent the horse on its way to the Barkley
Ranch.
At the Barkley Ranch, Victoria was on her way to the library. Nick and Heath were in the barn saddling
their horses for the workday ahead.
Audra was still in her room.
When Jarrod’s horse wandered into the barn winded and riderless, Nick
had just left the corral. He grabbed
the horse by its reins. He checked to
see if there was any blood on the saddle and found the note. He was afraid that the horse had thrown
Jarrod. But he could find no sign of
foul play. He read the note.
“Heath!” Nick hollered on his way to the house. “Heath!”
“What do you want?” Heath asked as he walked out of the barn leading his horse
out. “I had to finish saddling Charger.”
“Come on,” Nick said walking to the house.
“Where are we going?” Heath asked.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do today.”
“To show this note to mother,” Nick answered. “And the work can wait.”
“What note?” Heath asked not understanding.
“This is a ransom note,” Nick answered.
“Jarrod has been kidnapped and they want $50,000 for his safe return.”
“Nick,” Heath said, “you know they’ll kill Jarrod as soon as they get the
money.”
“Mother has the final say,” Nick replied.
The two brothers walked into the house.
“Mother!” Nick called. “Mother!”
“I’m in the study,” Victoria said.
Nick and Heath walked into the room.
Nick handed her the note. She
read it looking up at the boys.
“I can’t believe this,” she said as the seriousness of the situation sunk
in. “I think I know who’s behind
this. Nick, you ride into town and get
the money. Also, talk to Fred. I want the money followed and your brother
released unharmed.”
“All right mother,” Nick replied. “But who is behind it?”
“A man that Jarrod exposed,” she told him.
“Nathan Chadway.”
“Are you sure?” Heath asked.
“Pretty sure,” she answered. “He swore
he would get even.”
“I hope you’re wrong,” he said.
“I do too but I don’t think so,” she replied watching Nick leave.
Nick left the house as Audra walked downstairs.
“Mother,” she asked, “what’s going on?
Wasn’t that Nick I saw heading out the door?”
“Jarrod has been kidnapped,” Victoria answered. “They want $50,000 or they’ll kill him.”
“Kidnapped!” she screamed. “Why?”
“It’s because of Jarrod digging into a venture that I was asked to invest in,”
Victoria said calmly. “He found out the
man behind it was not who he pretended to be and I didn’t invest. The man lost everything.”
“Mother,” Audra asked trying to stop crying, “do you think he’ll be all right?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “That’s
why I’m going to have the money followed.”
“I love Jarrod and want him back safely,” Audra said still crying.
“We all want him back,” she replied trying to comfort her daughter. “Fred and the boys will find him.”
“I hope so,” Audra told her.
Chapter Four
In Stockton, Sheriff Fred Madden was busy going over wanted posters in his
office when Nick walked in.
“Morning Nick,” he said looking up.
“Fred,” Nick replied, “Jarrod’s been kidnapped. They want $50,000 or they’ll kill him.”
“What!” Fred told him loudly. “Why on
earth would anyone kidnap Jarrod?”
“It’s a long story,” Nick said. “I’ll
tell you on the way back to the ranch.
But first I need to go to the bank.”
“Sure,” Fred replied rising from his chair, grabbing his gun belt and hat.
Fred followed Nick out the door. Once
outside, Nick headed to the bank while Fred went to the livery stable to
retrieve his horse. Nick entered the
bank.
“Otis,” he said as he spotted Otis Clark working in the back. “I need to see you a minute.”
“Nick,” Otis replied walking over to him.
“What can I do for you?”
“I need $50,000 in small bills,” Nick told him.
“Why small bills?” he asked.
“It’s for a ransom drop,” Nick answered.
“Jarrod was kidnapped this morning.
If we don’t give them the money, he’s dead.”
“I’m so sorry Nick,” Otis said. “I
think the world of Jarrod. In fact, I
was going to see if I couldn’t start the ball rolling to nominate him for
attorney general.”
“I don’t know about that,” Nick replied.
“Right now all I want is the money.”
“Sure,” Otis told him going to the vault.
Otis handed Nick a short time later $50,000 in small bills. Nick took it and
left the bank. He walked to the livery stable where Fred was finishing saddling
his horse.
“Did you have any trouble getting the money?” Fred asked as they rode to the
ranch.
“No,” Nick answered. “Otis Clark was
more than helpful after I explained why I needed the money. I’m worried
Fred. I’m afraid once they get the
money, they’ll kill him anyway.”
“We’ll find him,” Fred said trying to reassure Nick.
“I hope so,” Nick replied.
The two of them arrived at the ranch an hour later. Nick had explained
everything to Fred so he knew who they were looking for. When Nick walked in
the front door followed by Fred, Victoria, Heath and Audra were waiting for
them.
“Here’s the money mother,” Nick said handing her the packet of money.
“Did you have any trouble?” she asked as she took it.
“None,” he answered. “When is the
drop?”
“At noon tomorrow,” she said. “We’re to
leave the money at the swing at the Emory Davis place.”
“Victoria,” Fred replied putting a hand on her shoulder, “we’ll find him and
bring him home.”
“I know you will,” she told him. “I’m
just worried. Mothers just worry about
their children.”
In his cell, buried beneath the ground, Jarrod was starting to hurt
all over. He grabbed his stomach, as
the pain became unbearable. He tried to
scream but nothing would come out because of the severity of the pain and the
drug. He knew he was going to die. He was shivering as well as shaking but the
pain would not stop. Then a thought
came into his addled mind.
“Don’t worry son,” it said. “You
are going to be all right.”
Jarrod tried to figure out what it meant. But the pain and the lack of air prevented him from being able to
think. He couldn’t understand it was a message from a man who had loved, raised
and cared about him since the day he was born.
His guardian angel: his father, Tom Barkley. He just sat there hoping
that somehow Nick could find him. But unknown to him, his mind was being
affected by the drug. It was going back
to the time when he was a small boy. Would the family be able to save Jarrod or would he be forever
lost in more ways than one?
The next morning at the ranch, no one had slept much. They were all too worried about Jarrod.
“We’ll find him mother,” Nick said trying to comfort her as she sat in the
living room.
“I was thinking how much he reminds me of Tom,” she replied looking up at
him. “His eyes mostly. I know you’ll
find him.”
“Fred will go with Heath and me,” he told her.
“We’ll follow the money and then rescue him. Although...”
“Although what?” she asked.
“I’m not sure but I feel that something is wrong with Jarrod,” he
answered. “He is in danger.”
“If anyone would know you would,” she said.
“You better eat something. It’s
going to be a long day.”
Nick headed for the dining room but he wasn’t hungry. He couldn’t get the thought of Jarrod being in danger or hurt out
of his mind. And he also knew that if they didn’t find him soon, he would
probably die. Nick had no idea how close to the truth his prediction was.
Chapter Six
The time to deliver the money was close at hand. Nathan Chadway sat at his desk smiling at the prospect of getting
$50,000.
“You want Art and me to pick up the money?” Sam asked.
“No,” he answered. “I want to do
it. I want to see the look on his
mother’s face when she learns that she will never see her son again.”
“We’ll wait here,” Art said. “You’ll
split the money when you get back?”
“Sure,” he replied looking at the two men.
“We’ll divide it then.”
Chadway left the cabin heading for the drop site. He saw Victoria riding in the buggy with the money. He watched very carefully as she laid the
money on the swing and rode away.
“Mrs. Barkley,” he said riding up to her.
“What do you want?” she asked angrily.
“I just wanted to tell you that you’ll never see your son again,” he
answered. “Your son is already dead.”
“No,” she said. “You’re lying.”
“Nope,” he replied smiling. “I injected
him with something that will cause him to die in a lot of pain. He should be writhing in pain right now as
we speak. It won’t be long now.”
“Why?” she asked. “He didn’t deserve
that. He was only doing what he thought
was right to help me.”
“And he ruined me,” he answered. “I’m
glad he’s dying.”
“You’re an evil man,” she said slapping the side of his face and then riding
off.
Chadway rubbed the side of his face and then picked up the money. Fred, Nick and Heath were watching from
behind the house. They began to follow
him to the cabin as he left the Davis property. Chadway dismounted once he arrived at the cabin, walking inside.
“Did you get it?” Sam asked standing when Chadway came in.
“Right here it is,” he answered laying the money on the table. “I even told Victoria Barkley that her son
was dead.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” Art asked.
“Because I wanted to see her face when she learned that her high and mighty son
was dead,” he answered. “You got a
problem with that?”
“Nope,” Art said. “Just asking.”
“Stop asking,” he replied opening the money.
“Let’s get this counted out and get out of here.”
Fred, Nick and Heath arrived a few minutes later. They dismounted heading off in three different directions. As the three men burst into the cabin guns
drawn, Art and Sam were so startled that they fired. Nick, Heath and Fred fired back.
Both men were shot and killed.
Chadway tried to run but Nick caught him by the shirt.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Nick asked holding him tightly. “I want to know where my brother is.”
“You’ll never find him,” he answered mockingly.
“You tell me or so help me I’ll beat it out of you,” Nick said getting very
angry.
“Nick,” Fred replied pulling Nick away from Chadway. “You can’t beat him
up. I know you want to find
Jarrod. Take a look around for any sign
of him.”
“Fred’s right,” Heath told him pulling Nick from the room.
Nick reluctantly followed Heath outside.
They began to search for their missing brother.
“I want to thank you for stopping him from hurting me,” Chadway said. “He’s a mad man.”
“He’s just worried about his brother,” Fred replied. “And don’t thank me. I’m
taking you to town to stand trial and if Jarrod Barkley dies, it will be
murder.”
“You’ll never find him,” Chadway told him.
Nick and Heath searched all the outside buildings with no results.
“Where can he be?” Nick asked getting more frustrated.
“He’s here somewhere,” Heath answered.
“Wait a minute. It couldn’t be.”
“What?” Nick asked.
“Look over there,” Heath answered pointing to fresh dirt. “Maybe they buried him.”
“What!” Nick yelled. “You can be
serious!”
“We’ve looked everywhere else,” Heath said.
“Why not. I’ve seen men buried
alive before and it isn’t pleasant.”
“All right,” Nick replied looking for a shovel.
The two brothers began to dig. When
Fred escorted Chadway out of the cabin, he stopped.
“Find him?” he asked.
“Maybe,” Nick answered. “Heath thinks
he may be buried.”
“Alive?” he asked.
“Why not,” Heath answered. “We haven’t
found him anywhere else.”
“You have a point,” Fred said as he secured Chadway to one of the porch
posts. “Let me have a shovel.”
Heath handed him a shovel and the three men began to dig. After an hour of digging, Nick struck
something metal with the end of the shovel.
“I think I found something,” he said looking up.
The three men uncovered the dirt from the top of the metal box. Then Nick broke the lock and opened the
box. They were confronted with a
horrible sight. Jarrod was sitting
inside the box with his knees up in front of him. His face was full of pain and horror. He was barely breathing. Nick eased himself into the box beside
his brother.
“Jarrod,” Nick said as he squatted down in front of Jarrod, “it’s Nick.”
Jarrod looked at him but he didn’t recognize him. Nick put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Heath,” he said as he looked up, “give me a hand.”
Heath climbed down next to Nick.
Between the two of them they were able to lift Jarrod out of the box to
Fred. He didn’t speak.
“Jarrod,” Nick said again as he kneeled down next to Jarrod, who was lying on
the ground. “It’s Nick.”
He finally looked up at Nick and tried to say, “bro...th...er.”
“That’s right,” Nick said grasping his shoulders. “You’re going to be all right.”
“N...ic...k,” Jarrod replied taking forever to sound out the name.
“Yes,” Nick told him. “Fred and Heath
are here too.”
“Wh...o?” he asked.
“Your brother Heath and Fred Madden, the sheriff,” Nick answered.
“Ti...red,” he said.
“I know you are,” Nick replied lifting him to his feet. “We’re taking you home.”
“Ho...me,” he told him recognition dawning in his eyes.
“That’s right,” Nick said smiling.
“Mother will be there with Audra.”
“Au...d...ra,” he replied not understanding who she was.
“Your sister,” Nick told him.
Jarrod barely nodded. Nick looked up at
Heath.
“He doesn’t know,” he said not understanding what was wrong with his brother.
“Nick,” Heath replied turning Nick to look at him, “I think I know what’s
happening. I’ve seen it before.”
“What are you talking about?” Nick asked.
“Jarrod has been confined in a very dark and small place,” he answered. “His brain has reacted by going back to a
time when he was very young.”
“What?” Nick asked. “You can’t be
serious.”
“Very,” Heath answered. “He could come
out of it quickly once he is around people he is familiar with or he may never
come back.”
“You mean to tell me that Jarrod could remain a boy for the rest of his life,”
he said.
“I mean that in his mind he is a small boy,” Heath replied. “I saw it during
the war. Some of the guys came back and
some didn’t. It’s their way of coping with the terror of being buried alive.”
“Can anything help him?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know about that,” he answered.
“All I do know is we’re going to have to be patient with Jarrod. He’s going to ask questions trying to figure
out what is happening.”
“What kind of questions?” Nick asked.
“Who we are?” Heath answered. “He may
call mother something else entirely.”
“I see,” he said looking back at Jarrod.
“We better get him to Doc Merrar’s.”
“Right,” Heath replied.
The two men gently helped Jarrod to his feet.
Then they helped him walk to Nick’s horse. Jarrod’s legs did not want to
respond because of being in the same position for a long time. With Fred’s help, they got him in the
saddle. He was terrified.
“Easy Jarrod,” Nick said trying to ease his brother’s fears. “We’re going to see mother.”
“Ma...ma,” Jarrod replied.
“Yes,” Nick told him. “You just rest.”
Jarrod closed his eyes while Nick held him as they rode. He didn’t push the horse
too hard because he didn’t want to hurt his brother. Nick was very concerned for his brother. If what Heath said was true, the man that
they had come to love and respect was gone.
In his place was a small, terrified boy.
“Mother will never believe this,” he said.
Chapter Seven
Heath accompanied Fred part of the way.
Then he turned toward the ranch.
He knew he had to tell his mother and sister what they had found.
“Heath!” Victoria shouted as he rode up in front of the house. “Did you find him?”
“Yes,” he said climbing down from his horse.
“Nick’s taken him to the doctor’s.”
“How is he?” she asked very worried.
“He has some problems,” he answered.
“What problems?” she asked.
“Jarrod was buried in a metal box in the ground,” he answered. “It was dark and he was all alone. I think he might have been drugged but I’m
not sure. When we pulled him from the
box, he didn’t recognize us.”
“Oh no,” she said tears running down her face.
“There’s more,” he replied. “He finally
knew who Nick was. But it takes a long
time for him to get one word out. Also,
I believe from what I’ve seen during the war, that Jarrod’s mind has gone back
in time. He thinks he’s a small
boy. He may not call you mother. I don’t know.”
“Can anything be done to help him?” she asked.
“I don’t know about that,” he answered.
“Doc Merrar may have the answer to that. Right now he is very confused and scared.”
“I’m going to town,” she said heading for the barn.”
“I’ll hitch up the buggy,” he replied.
“I’ll tell Audra,” she told him heading for the house.
As Victoria walked into the house, Audra came flying down the stairs.
“Did they find him?” she asked.
“Yes,” Victoria answered. “But Jarrod
is very sick.”
“What do you mean sick?” she asked.
Victoria went on to explain what Heath had told her.
“I’m going to town to see him,” she said.
“I’m going too,” Audra replied.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive,” Audra answered. “I love
him.”
“Let’s go,” she said as they headed out the door.
Heath was waiting for them. They
climbed into the buggy heading for town.
But neither woman would be ready for what they would find.
Chapter Eight
Nick finally rode into town. He had to
hold Jarrod in the saddle until he could dismount. Then he eased his brother off, helping him inside. Dr. Merrar met them at the door. Nick explained what had happened and what
Heath had told him.
“Makes sense,” he said as they helped Jarrod up on the examination table. “He’s been through it.”
“Ni...ck,” Jarrod replied scared of being alone.
“I’m right here Jarrod,” he told him coming to stand where Jarrod could see
him. “This is Dr. Merrar. He is going to help you.”
Jarrod relaxed and the doctor examined him.
“He’s definitely been drugged,” he said as he finished. “I’m not sure what was used but I’ll find
out. He’s not hurt physically that I
can see except that his legs are cramping from being kept in the same position
for a long period of time. I’m mainly
worried about his mental heath.”
“Then he is a small boy,” Nick replied.
“I’m afraid so,” he told him. “His mind
has regressed in time. Lack of oxygen
has also contributed to it. If he had stayed in there much longer it would have
killed him. I’m going to keep him here for a couple of days and then send him
to a specialist who dealt with this during the war. He’ll have to go to San Francisco.”
“Do you think he’ll be able to help Jarrod?” Nick asked concerned.
“I hope so,” he answered. “Because I
can’t. And in the meantime you’re going
to have to be very patient with him as he tries to adjust to what’s happened to
him.”
“I know that already,” Nick said looking down at his brother.
“Let’s get him into the bed in the back room,” he replied helping Jarrod to his
feet. “The doctor’s name is Henry
Jacobs.”
The two of them helped Jarrod into bed.
Jarrod looked up at Nick and smiled.
“Don’t you worry Jarrod,” he said smiling.
“I’m going to be right here.”
“Lo...ve...you,” Jarrod replied closing his eyes.
Nick heard the outside door open and close.
He knew that was his mother. He
left the room.
“How is he?” she asked as the doctor walked out of the back followed by Nick.
Dr. Merrar explained everything to the other members of the family.
“When can we take him?” she asked.
“Let’s give him a couple of days,” he answered. “I want to make sure there are no complications from that drug.”
“Can I see him?” she asked.
“Certainly,” he answered leading her back to Jarrod’s room. “He’s asleep.”
When she walked inside she could see her oldest son. There were no physical injuries but she knew that inside he was
not the same man. She sat down in a
chair beside of the bed and waited. She
had to see for herself what he was going to be like when he woke up.
Chapter Nine
A few hours later, Jarrod slowly opened his eyes. He was terrified until he saw Nick then he quieted.
“Honey,” Victoria said holding his hand, “mother’s here.”
“Ma...ma,” he replied looking at her.
Victoria was unprepared for what she was hearing. Her thirty-two year old son was acting like a small boy.
“Mother,” Nick said seeing her expression, “remember what Heath said.”
She nodded her head and then turned back to Jarrod.
“Jarrod,” she said very softly, “mama’s here.
You’re going to be all right.”
“Ma...ma,” he replied smiling.
“Wh...e...re?”
“You’re in the doctor’s office in town,” she told him. “You are a sick boy.”
“Si...ck,” he said.
“Yes,” she replied. “But you’re going
to get better.”
“Ho..pe so,” he told her.
Audra walked into the room. She went to
the side of the bed.
“Hi Jarrod,” she said smiling.
He looked at her but he didn’t know who she was. Victoria could see the puzzled look on his face.
“This is your sister, Audra,” she said pointing at her.
“Si...st...er,” he replied.
“Yes,” she told him.
“Au...d...ra,” he said slowly.
“That’s right,” she replied.
“Hi,” he told Audra.
“Hi yourself,” Audra said smiling. “How
are you?”
“Ma...ma, “ he replied, “sa...id me si...ck.”
“Yes,” Audra told him. “You’re going to
be fine.”
“Ho...pe so,” he said.
“Jarrod,” Victoria replied, “I want you to rest. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Yes ma...ma,” he told her letting his eyes close.
“Mother,” Audra said, “he called you mama.”
“Yes,” she replied. “His mind has been
affected by what happened to him. He
has a lot to deal with.”
The doctor walked in to see how his patient was.
“He’s asleep,” Victoria said looking up.
“Why does it take him so long to say one word?”
“I know,” he replied. “I don’t know how
long it will take to bring him back to the present. That’s why I want you to take him to San Francisco. Dr. Jacobs has dealt with this before. He may be able to help Jarrod. To answer your question, he has been buried
alive with a foreign drug in his system and he has been without much needed
oxygen. His mind has been affected by
what’s happened to him. It will take
time for him to heal. Just give him time.”
“And if he can’t?” she asked.
“He’ll be this way for the rest of his life,” he answered.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” she said looking down at her son. “There’s nothing physically wrong with him.”
“Nothing,” he replied. “It’s all in his
mind. As I told Nick, lack of oxygen
helped but the drug did most of the damage.”
“Have you been able to isolate it?” she asked.
“Not entirely,” he answered. “It really
doesn’t matter. There’s nothing more I
can do for him. I just want to see if
he gets sick from the drug.”
“I understand,” she said.
“Mother,” Audra replied, “I don’t understand.”
“Audra,” he told her, “it’s like this.
Jarrod is fine physically. His
mind has been affected by the drug and the amount of time he spent in that box
buried in the ground. The doctor in San
Francisco has had many patients that have endured this mainly during the
war. He has ways to help them come back
to the age they really are. Maybe he
can help Jarrod. I don’t know for sure. But I’m positive that I can’t.”
“I see,” she said. “Why did that
Chadway do this to Jarrod?”
“Revenge,” Victoria replied. “He wanted
to get back at me. So he kidnapped
Jarrod and did this to him.”
“What about Chadway?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Victoria answered. “If
Jarrod doesn’t improve I would say there is no case against him and he will be
freed.”
“He can’t,” she said angry. “Look at
him. He’s acting like a boy. He’s taken my brother away from me.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Victoria replied. “But you mustn’t let Jarrod know. He has enough to deal with without telling him about the man who
put him here.”
“All right,” she told her. “I’ll try.”
Chapter Ten
Two days later, the family was on board the train bound for San Francisco. Jarrod sat very quietly beside of Nick. He would look out the window watching the
scenery go by. Nick stayed close because
he knew Jarrod trusted him.
“You want something to eat?” he asked as they rode.
“No,” Jarrod answered. “Not hun...gry.”
“All right,” he said turning back to his mother. “I’m worried.”
“So am I,” she replied. “He’s like a
lost child.”
“Exactly,” Heath told them. “His mind
is lost and is desperately trying to find the information it has lost but it
doesn’t know where to look.”
“How do you know so much?” Nick asked.
“I was in Carterson Prison during the war,” he answered. “I saw men locked away in solitary come out
with the mind of a child. That’s how I
knew it was happening to Jarrod.”
“Do you think he has a chance?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “Maybe
this doctor can help.”
When they arrived at the train station, Nick helped Jarrod up and off the
train. They went straight to the
hospital.
“I need to see a Dr. Jacobs,” Victoria said as they walked up to the nurses’
desk.
“Who are you and why?” she asked.
“My name is Victoria Barkley, “Victoria answered. “This is my son, Jarrod.
He was locked in a box buried in the ground after being drugged. He has the mind of a child.”
“I see,” she said standing. “I’ll tell
the doctor you are here.”
“You were expecting us?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” she answered. “Your doctor wired
Dr. Jacobs about your son.”
The nurse disappeared. The family sat
down and waited. Victoria looked over
at Jarrod who sat beside of Nick. She
knew he trusted his brother and she was glad about that. But several thoughts went through her
mind. Would the man they had come to
love and respect ever come back or would they have to deal with a small boy in
the body of a man? She didn’t know the
answer. All she could do was hope that
Jarrod would someday be all right.
Nick was sitting thinking the same thoughts.
He knew Jarrod trusted him more than the rest. He knew he had to be strong for his brother. But he was hurting inside because the man
who was his best friend was gone and he didn’t know whether he would ever come
back.
“If you will follow me,” the nurse said as she returned.
“Mother,” Heath replied, “you and Nick go.
We’ll wait here.”
Victoria nodded as she and Nick walked Jarrod to one of the many examination
rooms. The doctor walked in a short
time later. He was a man of about sixty
with white hair. He was stocky
built. He smiled as he walked in.
“I’m Dr. Jacobs,” he said looking at Jarrod.
“I understand you are Jarrod Barkley.”
“Yes sir,” Jarrod replied.
“Can you tell me how old you are?” he asked.
“Not su...re,” Jarrod answered.
“I see,” he said looking at his mother and brother.
“Would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?” he asked.
“No,” Jarrod answered holding onto Nick’s hand.
“It’s all right son,” he said calmly.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“All ri...g...ht,” Jarrod replied finally turning loose.
Nick and Victoria stepped out into the hall.
“Mother,” Nick said pacing. “I’m
worried.”
“So am I,” she replied. “What if he
never gets better?”
“Yes,” he told her.
“We’ll never stop loving him,” she said.
“Yes that’s for sure,” he replied.
Chapter Eleven
An hour later, the doctor opened the door allowing Victoria and Nick back
inside. Once inside, he turned to them.
“Your son has definitely had a lack of oxygen,” he said plainly. “This has caused part of the damage to his
brain. The other part I believe is the
drug used. It has attacked his
brain. The memories are in there but
they are buried very deep in his subconscious.
What I hope to do is try to force them to the surface. It won’t be easy and it will take time but
he’s got a good chance to recover.
However, in the meantime we’re going to have to tread easily. I don’t want any reference made to what
happened to him. I don’t want the name
of the man responsible mentioned.”
“We understand,” she replied. “What do
we do now?”
“I want to admit him,” he told them.
“That way I can monitor him as I work with him.”
“All right,” she said. “We’ll get rooms
at the hotel. Before I forget what about his speech?”
“That will be fine,” he replied. “It’s because
of the drug and lack of oxygen. It may
improve over time. We’ll just have to
wait and see.”
Victoria and Nick walked back to the lobby.
Heath and Audra stood as they came out.
“We’re going to get rooms for a while,” she answered before they could ask any
questions. “The doctor wants to keep
him.”
Then she went on to explain what the doctor had told them.
“Do you really think he can help Jarrod?” Audra asked.
“We can only hope,” she answered. “But
Jarrod is still a member of this family and he will be treated as such.”
“We understand,” Heath said. “Let’s go
get registered.”
They left the hospital.
Dr. Jacobs led Jarrod to a room where he changed into a nightshirt and then
crawled into bed.
“It’s only going to be for a little while,” he said as Jarrod changed. “I want to work with you.”
“Yes sir,” Jarrod replied climbing in bed.
“Wh...at bo...ut ma...ma?”
“She’ll be here in a little while,” he told him. “I want to give you something.”
“Wh...at?” Jarrod asked.
“An injection to help get rid of the drug in your system,” he answered
producing a syringe. “Or at least try
to rid your system of that awful drug.”
Jarrod stiffened as he saw it. The
doctor rubbed his arm and popped the syringe in. Jarrod flinched, then relaxed as the soothing medicine worked its
way into his system. After a few
minutes, his eyes eased closed.
When the Barkley family returned after getting rooms at the hotel, they were
led to Jarrod’s room. There was a nurse
there sitting by the bed.
“The doctor has given him something to help,” she said looking up. “I’m to monitor him at all times.”
“Will he be all right?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” she answered. “It’s to help take
care of the remaining drug in his system.
He’ll sleep for at least four hours.”
“Why so long?” Nick asked.
“The medicine relaxes the patient,” she answered. “He’s been through a lot over the past week and he needs the
rest.”
“May we sit with him?” Victoria asked.
“Certainly,” she answered turning her attention back to her patient.
The family sat down in chairs and waited.
Chapter Twelve
Four hours later, Jarrod opened his eyes.
He looked around the unfamiliar room until his eyes came to rest on his
brother. He smiled as he recognized
Nick.
“Ni...ck,” he said looking over at his brother
“Hi Jarrod,” Nick replied standing and moving over to the bed. “Did you rest?”
“Yes,” he told him. “Fe...el
bet...ter.”
“That’s great,” Nick said smiling. “You
want anything?”
“No,” he replied looking at the other members of his family. “Ma...ma.
Au...d...ra. He...a...th.”
“That’s right boy,” Nick told him. “You
got everyone’s name right.”
“Go...od,” he said proud of himself.
“Honey,” Victoria replied coming over to stand beside Nick, “how do you feel
inside?”
Jarrod looked at her not quite sure what she meant.
“Do you feel better inside?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “No hu...rt.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said smiling.
“The doctor will be here shortly.
He’ll be pleased.”
Jarrod made a face.
“What’s that for?” Nick asked.
“Hu...rt me,” he answered.
“He gave you some medicine to help you feel better,” the nurse said from the
other side of the bed. “You want to
feel better don’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied looking at her.
The doctor walked into the room. He
approached the bed.
“How’s my patient today?” he asked.
“OK,” Jarrod answered. “Re...st...ed.”
“That’s good,” he said smiling.
“He also got everyone’s name right,” Nick replied putting his hand on his
brother’s shoulder.
“That’s good,” he told them. “Now, what
I want to do is see how much he can remember.”
“Remember about what?” Nick asked concerned.
“About his life in general,” he answered.
“Jarrod, what can you remember about yourself?”
Jarrod laid there thinking about the question.
“Me...mb...er,” he said looking up.
“ho...me is ra...n...ch. Ri...de
ho...rs...es. Bo...oks. “Fr...a...nk and Ma...tt.”
“Who are Frank and Matt?” the doctor asked.
Jarrod looked up at Nick for help.
“They were very close friends of Jarrod’s,” Nick answered. “They are both dead.”
“De...ad,” Jarrod said.
“Yeah,” Nick replied. “Frank was shot
and killed at his farm a few months ago and Matt killed himself three years
ago.”
Jarrod tried to remember but he couldn’t.
“It’s all right,” the doctor said.
“We’ll go on. You live on a
ranch.”
“Yes,” he replied. “Big.”
“600 acres,” Nick told him.
“That is big,” the doctor said. “And
you ride horses.”
“Yes,” he replied. “Th...i...nk me
ha...ve one.”
“You do,” Nick told him. “He’s brown
and squatty with white legs and mane.”
“Tan,” he said looking up at Nick.
“Close enough,” Nick replied smiling.
“That’s very good,” the doctor told him.
“You’re doing just fine.”
“Ho...pe so,” he said looking at the doctor.
“You are progressing nicely,” the doctor replied.
“Why wo...r...ds not co..me out go..od?” he asked.
“You remember the drug I said that the medicine I gave you helped,” he
answered. “Well, that drug affected
your speech. It will take some time but
you should be able to speak normally soon.”
“Go...od,” he said.
Chapter Thirteen
Over the next week, Dr. Jacobs worked everyday with Jarrod. He still couldn’t remember much and his
speech was still affected. Jarrod was
becoming increasingly frustrated and angry mostly at himself. The doctor tried to reassure him that it
would take time for him to get well.
“Jarrod,” the doctor said as he stood by the bed, “you’re going to have to let
yourself heal. There was something done
to you that caused all this.”
“Wh...at?” Jarrod asked wanting to know.
“I don’t think you’re ready to hear it yet,” he answered. “It’s too early to
get into it.”
“Yes,” Jarrod said pleading.
“Doc,” Nick asked looking at the doctor, “would it be better if it came from
me?”
“I’m not sure he’s ready for the news yet,” he answered. “I don’t want to cause him to have a
setback.”
“Let me try please,” Nick said.
“All right,” he replied. “But I want to
keep a close eye on him while you do.”
Nick turned to face Jarrod.
“Jarrod,” he said, “you were riding to Stockton to your office. A man took you to a cabin. He stuck a needle into your arm and then put
you in a metal box in the ground and buried you there. He wasn’t a nice man. He wanted you to die. But Heath and I found you. We brought you to the doctor.”
The entire time Nick was telling what had happened to Jarrod, he sat
there.
“See fa...ce,” he said looking at Nick.
“You can see a face,” Nick replied.
“Yes,” he told him. “Hu...rt me.”
“You bet he hurt you,” Nick said. “But
you’re going to show him. You’re going to
send him away for the rest of his life.”
Jarrod began to violently shake as Nick talked. The doctor motioned for Nick to stop. He went to the bed.
“Jarrod,” he asked, “are you all right?”
Jarrod just sat there shaking. The
doctor knew what had happened.
“Nurse,” he said looking at her, “I want a sedative stat.”
“Yes doctor,” she replied leaving the room.
“He is trying to remember something and it’s terrifying him,” he told
them. “I’m going to put him to
sleep. He’s not ready for anymore.”
“All right doctor,” Victoria said as they waited for the nurse to return.
The nurse entered the room with a syringe.
She handed it to the doctor. He
injected it into Jarrod and his eyes closed.
“He’ll sleep now,” he said. “I want him
to rest for now. We can start again
tomorrow.”
After the doctor left, Nick looked at his sleeping brother. Then he looked at his mother.
“What have I done?” he asked. “I’ve
hurt Jarrod and he’ll never get better.”
“Nick,” Victoria answered him, “it’s not your fault. You thought he was up to hearing about what happened to put him
here. He wasn’t. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Mother,” Nick said looking at her, “he’s never going to get better.”
“We don’t know that,” she replied.
“Right now, Jarrod needs our love and support. He trusts you Nick. Are
you going to throw away that trust because you feel sorry for yourself?”
Nick looked at his brother lying in the bed asleep. He knew Jarrod trusted him completely. Then he looked at his mother.
“No I’m not,” he said. “I’m going to
help Jarrod deal with this and no matter the outcome he’ll still be my
brother.”
“That’s the spirit,” she replied smiling.
“If it’s God’s will, Jarrod will heal.
If it’s not, we’ll deal with that.”
Nick smiled at his mother and his brother.
Chapter Fourteen
Late that evening, Jarrod began to wake up.
He was still groggy and could only hold his eyes open a slit. Victoria and Nick both came to the side of
the bed.
“How do you feel son?” she asked.
“Ti...r...ed,” he answered.
“It’s the medicine the doctor gave you earlier,” she said looking down at
him. “You were very upset.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I don’t want to get into that until you get rested,” she answered. “I’m sure the doctor will tell you when he
comes in.”
He barely nodded letting his tired eyes close.
Victoria stroked his hair as he slept.
She put her hand to the side of his face and it felt warm.
“Nurse,” she said, “he feels warm to me.”
Nurse Goins rose from her chair, walking to the bedside. She felt Jarrod’s face.
“Yes he does,” she said leaving the room.
A few minutes later the doctor walked in.
He checked Jarrod to see if he indeed had a fever.
“He’s running a fever,” he said. “I
need to see what’s causing it.”
The doctor began to examine Jarrod again.
As he pulled up his nightshirt, he noticed very red marks on his
chest. When he applied a small amount
of pressure to them, Jarrod cried out.
“Just as I thought,” he said.
“What?” Victoria asked worried.
“Was he thrown over a saddle?” he asked.
“Might have been when he was kidnapped,” Nick answered. “Why?”
“He has a very red and sore stomach area,” he said. “I believe that no one noticed it because we were all worried
about his mental health.”
“Will he be all right?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” he answered turning to the nurse.
“I want a syringe of medicine prepared to help this infected area as
well as to help reduce the fever. Then
I want a creme rubbed over the area.”
“Yes doctor,” she said leaving the room.
“He’s going to be fine after we get this cleared up,” he replied turning back
to the family. “His fever is only a
little over 100.
“What about his mind?” Nick asked.
“I’m still working on that,” he answered.
“In time I hope that he will completely recover.”
“How much time?” she asked.
“I can’t say at this time,” he answered.
“Each patient is different. Some
recover quickly. Some don’t recover at
all. And others recover but it is a
long drawn out process. I can’t tell
you at this time which category Jarrod falls under because I don’t know. He’s made some progress but he has a long
way to go.”
The nurse returned with a syringe, which she handed to the doctor and a small
bottle of creme. The doctor injected
Jarrod with the medicine and the nurse rubbed the creme over the irritated area. Jarrod never moved. They covered him up and let him sleep.
“How long will he sleep?” Nick asked.
“At least a few hours,” the doctor answered.
“Rest is very good for him. Try
not to worry.”
“All right,” Nick said but he was very worried.
Seeing the worry on his face, the doctor tried to ease his fears.
“I know it’s hard on you to see your brother in the shape he is in,” he
said. “But he is a bright man and that
will indeed help him as he tries to heal.
What I would like you to do is treat him as normally as possible. Try not to dwell on the problems he has.”
“It’s not going to be easy doc,” Nick replied looking at Jarrod. “You see.
He’s my older brother. He’s
always been there when I’ve been sick or hurt.
I remember when I was sixteen and trapped in that mine. Jarrod rode all night from San Francisco
where he was going to law school. No
one had to tell him his brother was hurt.
He knew.”
“Jarrod and Nick have always been close,” she told him. “They can sense when the other one is sick or
hurt. I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to,” he said. “Right
now and for the time being, Jarrod needs you to help and guide him as he tries
to get well. I’m going to tell you
right now it won’t be easy. He’s not
the same man you’ve known all your life.
But he is still your brother and he loves you. He needs you to guide him in the right direction as he tries to
deal with what’s happened to him.”
“I’ll try doc,” Nick replied.
“I know you will,” he told him. “I’ll come
back in the morning to see how he is.
Nurse Goins will be here if you should need something.”
The doctor left the room. Nick thought
about what he had said.
“I’ll be there for Jarrod every step of the way,” he said out loud. “You can count on it.”
“He’s knows that,” his mother replied smiling.
“Jarrod appreciates everything you’ve done to help him. He may not say it but he does.”
“Thanks mother,” he told her smiling.
“It means a lot.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jarrod slept all night thanks to the medicine.
When he did open his eyes the next morning, his mother and brother
greeted him.
“Honey,” she said as he opened his eyes, “you rested all night. How do you feel?”
“So...re,” he replied. “My
st...om...ac...h.”
“You had an infection in your stomach but the doctor has given you something to
help,” she told him. “How about some
breakfast?”
“No,” he said turning his head away from his mother.
“What’s wrong?” she asked knowing something was bothering him.
“No...th...ing,” he answered.
“Jarrod,” she said trying to find out what was bothering her son, “tell me what
it is.”
“No un...der...st...and,” he replied.
“What don’t you understand?” she asked.
“Why me he...re,” he answered.
“Son,” she said looking into his face, “you were badly injured. But your injury was not physical. It has to do with your brain. You are unable to think normally thanks to a
man who wanted to get even with both you and me. We’ve brought you to San Francisco to see if this doctor can help
you.”
“See,” he replied. “Try.”
“I know you are trying,” she told him.
“You are trying very hard. But
it’s not easy and it won’t be easy.”
“St...i...ll try,” he said.
“I know,” she replied hugging him.
“You’re going to get out of here and we’re going home.”
“Ho...me,” he told her thinking.
“Li...ke th...at.”
“I promise you we’re going home very soon,” she said.
Nick walked into his room. Jarrod
smiled when he saw Nick.
“Ni...ck,” he said smiling.
“Jarrod,” Nick replied stopping beside the door. “I just had a talk with the doctor and I’m going to take you for
a walk outside.”
“Go...od,” he told him starting to get up.
“You have to get dressed first,” Nick said.
“Try,” he replied getting up.
“Nick,” she told him, “you help Jarrod.
I’m going to the hotel.”
“All right,” Nick said turning his attention to Jarrod.
As Victoria walked to the hotel, Heath met her. He was clearly bothered by
something.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I got a telegram at the hotel,” he answered.
“It’s from Fred in Stockton. He
says that Chadway’s lawyer is pushing for a trial date to be set. He says that if Jarrod is not able to
testify they’ll have to turn him loose.”
“Oh dear,” she said reading the telegram.
“I need to speak to the doctor.”
She turned and headed back to the hospital.
Chapter Sixteen
Nick and Jarrod walked outside the hospital.
As they walked down a street, Nick pointed to a building.
“That’s where your office is,” he said as he pointed. “You have an office here and in Stockton.”
“Mil...dred,” Jarrod replied as he looked.
“That’s right,” he told him. “Your
secretary’s name is Mildred.”
“Old...er,” Jarrod said looking at Nick.
“Yeah,” he replied smiling. “That’s
right.”
“Ni...ck,” Jarrod told him as they walked.
“Wa...nt re...me....m...ber.”
“I know you do Jarrod,” he said putting his arm around Jarrod’s shoulders. “You will.”
“Ho...pe so,” Jarrod replied.
“We better get back,” he told him as the two started back to the hospital.
Victoria arrived at the hospital. When
she found Dr. Jacobs, she was clearly upset.
“What’s wrong Mrs. Barkley,” he asked.
“I just received a telegram from the sheriff in Stockton,” she answered. “If Jarrod can’t testify against Chadway,
they’re going to turn him loose. Is
there any way possible to make him remember?”
“You’re treading in dangerous territory if you force him to remember,” he
said. “He could completely go off the
deep end.”
“I’m going to tell him exactly what happened,” she replied.
“Then you could hurt your son,” he told her.
“I don’t think he’s ready yet.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I want this
man put away for what he did to my son.”
“Do you want to destroy your son in the process?” he asked trying to stop her.
“No,” she answered. “But it can’t be
helped.”
“I still say you’re wrong,” he said.
“But I won’t stop you.”
“Good,” she replied heading for his room.
“God help him,” he told her receding back.
As Nick and Jarrod walked into Jarrod’s room, Victoria met them. Nick could tell she was very upset. Before he could ask, she took Jarrod’s hand
leading him over to the bed.
“I want to tell you something,” she said as he sat down on the side of the
bed. “You have to go back to
Stockton. You have to testify against
Nathan Chadway. If you don’t he’ll be
free to hurt someone else.”
Jarrod just looked at her not sure what she was talking about.
“Mother,” Nick said.
“Hush Nick,” she replied. “Jarrod, this
man Chadway had you kidnapped. He had
his two men bury you in the ground in a small metal box. He injected you with a drug that hurt
you. Then he left you there to
die. Luckily, Nick and Heath found you
still alive but you had something wrong with you. Your speech was affected, as was your mind as far as
thinking. You can’t remember. You’re going to remember.”
She shook Jarrod by his shoulders. Nick
tried to stop her but she pushed him away.
“He has to remember,” she said getting angry.
“He has too.”
“Mother,” Nick asked, “what are you doing?”
“They’re going to free Chadway unless Jarrod is able to remember,” she
answered. “I don’t want that to
happen. Your brother has to remember.”
Jarrod was sitting there looking at his mother and brother. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew
it had something to do with him. Then a
thought came into his mind.
“Remember,” it said. “Remember the
horror.”
Jarrod didn’t understand what it meant but he tried to remember. After a few minutes and his mother
continuing to shake him, the horror surfaced.
“No!” Jarrod screamed. “Please! Don’t shut it! I’ll die!”
Both Nick and Victoria backed up from him as he began to see what had happened
to him. They noted the fact that his speech seemed to be all right at least for
the moment. Frightened, he begged for help.
“Let me out!” he called.
“Jarrod,” she said quietly, “it’s over.
You’re free. What do you
remember?”
“I remember being forced into that box,” he replied not looking at either one
of them. “I remember hearing the dirt
being thrown in on top of me. I knew I
was going to die. But a voice said,
‘you will be all right.’”
“A voice?” Nick asked. “Whose voice?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “It just
happened again. The voice said
remember.”
“Do you remember it all,” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I remember
everything.”
Victoria sat down on the bed beside of him.
She put her arm around him and held him close.
“I’m sorry I had to do that,” she said.
“But Sheriff Madden sent a telegram that stated that Chadway would be
freed if you didn’t testify. I didn’t
want that to happen. So, I decided to
make you remember.”
“I remember,” he replied. “But what am
I doing here?”
“You don’t know,” Nick told him.
“No,” he said. “I can’t remember
anything after the lid was closed.”
“That’s all right son,” she replied smiling.
“I’ll fill you in.”
“All right,” he told her holding his head.
Chapter Seventeen
Dr. Jacobs walked into the room as Jarrod sat on his bed holding his head in
his hands.
“He’s remembered it all,” she said looking up at him. “I told him and he remembered.”
The doctor stopped at the side of the bed and squatted down in front of Jarrod.
“Jarrod,” he asked, “how are you?”
Jarrod didn’t look at him. The doctor
pulled his hands from his face. Jarrod
was in shock as he was remembering everything.
The doctor eased him back in the bed.
He never moved, as the horror of remembering was all he could think
about. The doctor turned to Victoria.
“I hope you’re happy,” he said angrily.
“He’s in shock and I’m going to sedate him to help him deal with
this. You just couldn’t wait. You had to force him to remember.”
“Yes,” she replied just as angry. “I
didn’t want that man to be freed and hurt someone else.”
“Are you sure that was the only reason?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she wanted to know.
“You may have destroyed Jarrod’s sanity,” he answered. “I don’t know what condition he’ll be in
after he rests. Nurse, bring me a
syringe full of the sedative.”
“Yes sir, “the nurse said as she left the room.
“You don’t care about your son’s health do you?” he asked turning his attention
back to Victoria.
“Yes I care,” she answered. “I only
want him to put this man away.”
“Mother,” Nick said looking at her, “it’s almost like you’re obsessed with
putting Chadway away. Why?”
Victoria didn’t answer his question.
“Why?” he asked again.
“Yes Mrs. Barkley,” the doctor wanted to know.
“Why?”
“I...love Jarrod,” she answered. “But
this man, Chadway, I’ve knew over thirty years ago. It wasn’t long after your father and I came to the valley. He was a young man who knew a lot about
stocks so Tom hired him to run the stock part of his business dealings. The young man was bright. Both Tom and I liked him very much. Then one day, Tom came home early and told
me that Chadway was gone. He had taken
$500 worth of stocks with him. We tried
to find him but he was gone. Then a
couple of years later, after Jarrod was born, Tom and I were in San Francisco
on business.”
The nurse walked in with the syringe and she injected the medicine into Jarrod,
who finally closed his eyes.
“We both saw Chadway at the same time,” she said continuing. “He saw us at the same time. He tried to run but Tom caught him. When Tom brought him over to Jarrod and me,
he reached out grabbing Jarrod by the arm.
I was scared as I watched him pull Jarrod in front of him. Tom tried to stop him but was stopped by
Chadway when he put his hands around Jarrod’s throat. Tom told him to stop.”
“You really think I care about this boy,”
he said as he backed up.
“That’s my son,” she replied trying to reason with him.
“I don’t care,” he told them. “The boy
dies if you don’t let me go.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” Tom said advancing on him.
Chadway tightened his grip on Jarrod’s throat.
Jarrod was crying and calling for Tom.
“Papa,” he cried so scared.
“Son,” Tom said trying to keep his son calm.
“Be brave. I’m going to get you
free.”
“You try to stop me and I’ll kill him,” Chadway replied.
“All right,” Tom told him giving in.
“What do you want?”
“To leave here,” he said smiling. “And he
goes with me.”
“No,” Tom replied.
Chadway tightened his grip again.
Jarrod was beginning to gasp for air.
Tom finally agreed.
“All right,” Tom said giving in.
“Go. Only leave our son here.”
“No,” he replied turning to leave. “The
boy goes.”
“Please,” she told him. “He’s my
son. I love him.”
“No,” he said heading off. “You can
find him at the depot.”
Tom and Victoria ran after him. When
they arrived at the depot, Jarrod was no where in sight. Tom decided to look behind the depot. When he walked behind the building, he saw
his son. Jarrod was lying on the ground
barely breathing. He had been
strangled. Tom picked him up, rushing
him to help. He spent two weeks in the
hospital. But fortunately he was all
right.
“So you see,” she said looking at them both. “He tried to kill Jarrod once.
And now he’s tried again. I want
him locked up.”
“I see what you mean,” the doctor replied.
“But you may have seriously hurt your son.”
“I didn’t want to,” she told him. “I
just wanted to make him pay for what he’s done to this family.”
Jarrod moaned and the doctor turned his attention to his patient.
“What?” he mumbled.
“You remembered everything son,” the doctor said calmly. “You had to be sedated.”
“Why?” he mumbled.
“Your mother made you remember,” the doctor said. “She wants you to testify against the man.”
“Oh,” he replied trying to hold his eyes open.
“Sleep son,” the doctor told him.
“We’ll talk later.”
Jarrod’s eyes closed.
“You’re very lucky,” he said looking at Victoria. “He’s seems to be all right.
But I won’t know for sure until he wakes up in several hours.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I didn’t
want to hurt Jarrod.”
“Mother,” Nick asked, “why did you have to make him remember?”
“I just told you,” she answered.
“Wait a minute,” Nick said as a thought came into his mind. “Doc, you remember Jarrod said something
about a voice that talked to him. I
think I know who that voice is.”
“Who?” he asked.
“My father,” Nick answered. “He was
trying to help Jarrod.”
“Yes,” she said smiling. “It had to be
Tom. He wanted the man to pay.”
“But not at Jarrod’s expense,” Nick replied.
“What about him?”
“I promise Nick,” she told him, “that when we get home and after he testifies,
he can rest for as long as he needs to.”
Nick thought about it for a long time.
Then he spoke.
“All right,” he agreed. “But if Jarrod
is hurt from this, I’ll never forgive you.”
“I understand,” she said.
Chapter Eighteen
Jarrod didn’t wake up until the next morning.
When he did, he was smiling at Nick.
“What’s been going on?” he asked somewhat confused.
“What do you mean?” Nick wanted to know.
“I mean where are we and why are we here?” he asked.
“We’re in the hospital in San Francisco,” Nick answered. “You were hurt bad by a man named Chadway.”
This time at the mention of the name, there was no response from Jarrod.
“I remember,” he said. “He kidnapped me
and locked me up after drugging me.”
“Yep,” Nick replied. “What else?”
“He wanted mother to pay $50,000 for my safe return,” he told them. “But he wasn’t going to free me. He told me so. He wanted me to die and then mother to die.”
“We fooled him,” she said smiling. “I’m
sorry I had to force you to remember.”
“I don’t understand,” he replied confused.
“You don’t remember last night?” she asked.
“The last thing I remember is the lid being closed and the dirt thrown in on
top of me,” he answered.
“Boy have you got a lot to catch up on,” Nick said.
“When can we go home?” he asked.
“As soon as the doctor releases you,” she answered.
The doctor walked into the room.
“He doesn’t remember any of the stay here at the hospital,” Nick said.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” the doctor replied.
“His brain has healed itself and the memories of the ordeal here has
been subdued. He may remember in time
or they may never return. The good news
is there is nothing wrong with him caused by what your mother did
yesterday. He’s very lucky.”
“What are you talking about?” Jarrod asked very confused.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Nick answered.
“OK,” Jarrod said smiling. “When can I
go home?”
“Just as soon as I sign the release papers,” the doctor replied turning to
leave.
At noon, Jarrod walked out of the hospital.
He and the other members of the family returned to Stockton. Jarrod testified against Nathan Chadway, who
was put away for thirty years for kidnapping and attempted murder. Jarrod never did remember the ordeal in the
hospital.