Good Ol' Boys
McRaider
Summary: The story of how our good ol' boys became good ol' boys. Also the boys are six years apart and Daisy is three from both. I know they're closer in real life but for some of my ideas to work I had to do it this way. Disclaimer: I don't own them…wish I did, cause I love Tom and John!

Prologue: And then there were Three
September 9th, 1954

It wasn't an outrageously amazing day, wasn't even that pretty; but rather it was cloudy and overcast. The morning had started like many others for Andrew Duke and his wife Caroline; a couple who had been married for a little over a year. They were expecting their first child any day now, and while Andrew was quite excited Caroline remained apprehensive in many respects; she was your average big city girl. She'd been born and raised in the city, so when she'd married Andrew and they'd moved out into the country it had been quite the adjustment. She believed her child would grow better in the country but it made her nervous all the time. Caroline missed the sounds of busy cities.

The day was cloudy, large rain clouds on their way to hopefully do more than sprinkle on the Alabama country line. Andrew gazed up at the sky from where he sat working beside tractor. His younger brother, Jesse sat beside him trying to help. Andrew had sent a silent prayer up to the heavens when Jesse had offered to come by the farm for a few weeks and help out until the baby came. With their younger brothers working the Duke farm it wasn't in any dire need. Jesse had just married a little over a month ago, so he and Martha had willingly come to visit the eldest Duke boy.

"Jesse!" Martha's cry came from the front porch of the farm house. Two sets of identical blue eyes looked up from their work to see Martha leading a very pregnant Caroline out of the house. She was grabbing her belly. "She's in labor!"

It was a race to the hospital, there was no question that Caroline was in labor and for whatever reasons the baby was in a hurry to get here. They arrived at the hospital and Caroline was rushed into the delivery room, Caroline begged Martha to come in with her.

Jesse sat beside his older brother and sighed, "Whatcha gonna name the little one?" he asked trying to distract his brother from worrying.

Blue eyes studied the younger man for a moment, Jesse was about eighteen months younger than him, but they'd always ruled the farm together. Then Andrew had met Caroline, fallen in love and together they'd gone to Alabama. Leaving behind six younger brothers to help their poor mother carry along; although Andrew didn't rightly expect Joe or Jon to stay on the farm much longer, both were too much of movers and shakers. In fact Andrew wouldn't be surprised if Jon decided to try a hand at college.

"Lukas if it's a boy and Annie if it's a girl—though Caroline is set on a boy don't know what we'd do if it was a girl."

"'spect you'd settle with the girl an' be happy," Jesse offered casually.

Andrew chuckled and nodded and glanced back up at the clock, six and half hours had passed since their arrival, he felt like he was going crazy. Just as he was about to get up and harass the nurses again the doors swung open, and out stepped Martha. In her arms with a soft white blanket, moving ever so slightly; Andrew's eyes grew wide at the sight of his sister-in-law. Stepping closer he gaped at the sight.

Inside the blanket laid an infant with bright pink cheeks a tuft of brown hair sticking out in all directions. Blue eyes were wide open—and not the typical blue most babies had, these ones were almost deep water blue. The baby's eyes locked with Andrews, who swore his heart stopped. "Andrew congratulations, you've got a son," Martha offered.

Andrew instinctively reached out and accepted the frail and tiny bundle of blankets. He felt awed at the beautiful sight before him. Jesse was leaning over his shoulder gazing down at the beautiful baby. Unable to resist the baby Jesse felt his heart melt as he grabbed a hand sticking out from the blankets. Immediately the tiny hand seemed to grip his. "Lukas Kameron Duke," whispered Andrew.

"He's beautiful Andy," Jesse murmured.

o0o

February 19th, 1957

Unlike Caroline and Andrew's first birth, Elizabeth's took nearly fifteen hours; finally the doctor's decided it was best to give her a c-section. Moments later the baby decided to grace the world with its presence. Martha was in the room with Elizabeth; Joseph's wife. Along with Lily who had just recently married the youngest Duke, Jon.

Screams echoed through the room as the doctor gripped the baby girl in his arms, "Congratulations Elizabeth, you've got a daughter," once the baby was wrapped and warmed up they placed her in her mother's arms.

Elizabeth—married to the third Duke boy, Joseph Duke, held her daughter with glee. Exhausted and sure she was going to die, she couldn't be happier at the sight of the beautiful infant in her arms. Like her older cousin she had dark brown hair. She was simply beautiful.

Martha watched half excited and half sad, she'd found out recently she couldn't have any children. Though she enjoyed nothing more than spending time with her nephews; now however, she had a niece to play with as well. Andrew had moved back to Atlanta after the death of his wife and youngest son Jud. He'd lost them both in a hospital fire; left with only his baby boy—now three years old, He'd decided he needed to be closer to family.

Since then Anne Duke had died, the matriarch of the family, leaving the farm primarily to Jesse and Martha who had remained behind. Many of the other Dukes had spread out across the southern states; two had decided to go to the Yankee side; though the family wasn't yet holding it against them.

Once they'd settled Elizabeth in, they invited the boys to come in. Jesse Duke lead the group, on his hip curled his eldest nephew, Luke Duke, now three the child was beginning to show more and more of his father's traits everyday. "Luke, this is your cousin Daisy," Jesse whispered.

Blue eyes grew wide at the sight of the tiny girl who was crying in her mother's arms. Immediately tiny hands slapped over the child's ears, "Daeee loud!" he cried shaking his head. The family chuckled at the antics of the eldest nephew.

"Yes son, get used to it, all women are," joked Joseph as he lifted his nephew from Jesse's arms and carried him over to the bed, "However she just wants to be friends. Can you be friends with her Lukey?"

"Baby scweam!"

Andrew smiled softly, he adored his little boy, thankful that he still had something after all the horrible accident a year ago. "You did too once son. You remember how to hold a baby right?"

"Lukey hold!" cheered the toddler as he held out his arms perfectly. Elizabeth smirked, fully trusting the tot she handed her daughter over. Luke protected Daisy as if they were siblings. He looked down at her, their eyes meeting and he smiled slowly, "Daee prudy," he murmured ever so softly.

It was moments like that when Luke reminded his father more of Caroline than himself. Reaching out he dropped a soft kiss on top of his son's forehead watching the toddler interact with the beautiful infant girl.

o0o

March 8th, 1959

From start to finish Lily Duke's pregnancy was by far the most complicated and difficult of all the Dukes. The first three months they were sure they would lose the baby, and almost did once. By month four they were fairly sure she'd carry it to full term but only if she was on bed rest. The doctors had already told Lily that she was not to do any work and move around more than physically necessary. She would most likely have to give birth through c-section though she'd asked to try and give birth naturally for as long as possible.

By month six the baby's breathing sounds weren't normal and they were concerned he'd developed some sort of infection—at month seven the baby was grossly under weight and wasn't showing a progression as much as they'd have liked. And that's when the problem occurred, at the eighth month Lily went into premature labor. Luckily surrounded by her close family she was whisked to the hospital.

The baby's lungs wouldn't be fully developed and there was a very good chance of him not surviving if he was born this month, but the doctors realized at that point he was coming whether anyone wanted him to or not. Twenty-three intense hours of labor later and several denials of surgery later there was a rupture, the baby was born not breathing and Lily died on the table.

Martha stepped out from the labor room, tears trailing down her cheeks, the doctors had given her permission to break the news if she felt up to it. Truth was, Martha didn't want her brother-in-law to hear it from some stranger. She stepped over to the group, including little Luke and Daisy, their parents and Jesse, as well as the baby's father. "The—the baby was born," she whispered softly, "He isn't breathing, they were trying to resuscitate him when I stepped out of the room…."

"My wife? Lily?" Jonathan asked quietly suddenly afraid.

Martha took another slow deep breath, "There was a rupture, the bleeding started to soon and too fast. They couldn't stop it, your wife bled out. Jonathan I'm so sorry," she answered sadly.

Jesse was there to catch his baby brother as the barely man began to cry into his big brother's shoulder. "If…if they get the baby's breathing started he'll be taken to the ICU—they're concerned because his lungs haven't fully developed."

"Was his heart beating?" Andrew questioned softly as he stood holding his son.

She nodded, "They got a heart beat but lost it shortly after they realized he wasn't breathing. The doctors said they would let us know more as soon as they could."

As if on cue a nurse stepped out from behind the doors as well, she was dressed in a pair of pink scrubs, removing her sweat soaked mask she gave a sad smile to the small family, "Mr. Duke?" Four men glanced up, causing her to chuckle, "Jon Duke?"

"My son, how is he?"

"First off I'm nurse Roberts and I'll be caring for your son in the NNICU until he's healthy enough to leave. Your son is showing the earliest sign of asthma we've ever seen. If you are unaware asthma is the swelling of the bronchial tissue, which are the tubes in the lungs. They help carry the blood and oxygen to the rest of the body as well as from the heart. When they get irritated they begin to swell and cause air flow restriction. Asthma cannot be cured however there are medications to help the condition and the medications are getting better every day. We were able to stabilize the little fella, but he's on a oxygen right now to help him with his breathing. Because his lungs are still under developed he'll have to stay here for at least six weeks. We can't let you into the NNICU right now, but we do have a window and you can see your son if you'd like, but I warn you he looks very tiny right now."

"What is the NNICU?" Jesse questioned softly, feeling overwhelmed by all that he'd been told in less than ten minutes. He was now a single dad, and that was something he'd have to adjust to later. He had a son to care for and Lily wanted that baby more than anything.

"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, it's for all babies with problems—whether premature or dying. Would you like to see your son?"

Jonathan nodded slowly, together the family followed the sweet nurse back through the hallways, until they reached two large windows. Jesse, who was carrying Daisy stopped and just stared, stunned by all the tiny little babies—some even smaller than his nephew probably. "Mr. Duke your son is the first baby on the right. I want you to also know, the NNICU is not a death sentence. Your son could make excellent progress and come out of this a very healthy child. But he has to fight, and he's got quite a fight in front of him."

The man just looked at the baby, who didn't span anymore than maybe twelve inches, he looked pasty white, he was wearing a diaper that looked two sizes too big a little hat over his head no doubt covering honey blonde hair. The nurse had been right, he looked so tiny covered by all the machines. "Beauregard Jesse Duke," whispered Jon as he placed his hand against the glass.

Jesse stared at his little brother, he'd never expected that, "Jon?"

"Beauregard is such a terrible name, but Lily loved it, and I always wanted a son named Jesse. Is it all right that since she's—" he paused.

The nurse reached out and touched the hurting man's arm, "He is your son Mr. Duke we encourage parents from the NNICU to name their babies, it seems strange but we believe it helps the child. Also you need to be aware that we recently just discovered too much oxygen can cause blindness in babies, so we're trying to regulate how much we use. There is some risk involved but this hospital has faired well in that area. Also we're one of the first hospitals doing this, but we try to give parents more interaction with their babies. Your son, tiny as he is can't be handled just yet, but in a week or two if we like how he's progressing you'll be able to gown up and hold him."

"I can't hold him," whispered Jonathan.

She shook her head, "No, I'm afraid not. Right now it would stress him out, but as I said we'll keep an eye on him and as soon as you can we'll let you know."

Luke, still sitting in his daddy's arms studied this tiny little creature through the glass. The baby wasn't like any other babies he'd ever seen. This one was quiet and very still—it was almost creepy. "He ain't no Beauregard," piped up the five and a half year old.

All eyes turned to the child for a moment, "Luke?" Andrew questioned his son.

Luke looked at his daddy, "He ain't no Beauregard daddy, he's a Bo!"

Jonathan smiled for the first time since he'd been hit with all this news, reaching out he swept his nephew into his arms and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek, "Right you are my boy, right you are. Luke, Daisy—this is your cousin, Bo."

o0o

As promised nearly two weeks later, Jonathan got to hold his son for the very first time, though still small and frail the baby was showing signs of vast improvement. The nurses considered him the miracle baby. To come from such odds and bounce back, it was decided that 'Bo'; as dubbed by his cousin, was a survivor. Something Jonathan was thankful for as he pushed through the first month as a widower.

Six weeks later the nurses and doctors felt confident enough to send the baby home. So the Duke household was cleaned from top to bottom and Bo was taken home for the first time in almost seven weeks since his birth.

TBC