Hey! Bad writer! Bad writer! Long delay again! I'm sorry. Really, I am. And I appreciate the patience, support, and feedback that so many of you have given me! You're all great!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.

UNCLE, UNCLE

CHAPTER 49

I HATE HOSPITALS

"I'm staying," Luke whispered after a few minutes in Bo's room.

"Uncle Luke," Ashley besieged, concerned that she'd end up with two sick uncles.

"I'm staying," he repeated in the same voice he'd used earlier with the doctors; one that Ashley hadn't heard since she'd been a teenager.

Knowing better than to argue with him, Ashley sighed. Bo was known as the stubborn one in the family, but Luke was determined when his mind was made up. Only those that knew them well could tell the difference between plain stubborn and sheer determination, and at that moment, the set lines on Luke Duke's face said that his mind wouldn't be changed no matter what anyone wanted to call it. "Okay. I'll stay, too," she gave in..

Glancing her direction momentarily, Luke gave her a ghost of a smile. He appreciated the unnecessary offer, and under different circumstances, he might have even been amused, but at that minute, there was only one thing on his mind: his cousin. He was staying, that much he was certain of, and in an almost selfish way, he wanted to be alone with Bo. "No, pumpkin. Go home. You need to be with Matthew and the kids."

"But Uncle Luke!"

"Really sweetheart. It's fine. We'll be fine," he said in the same determined voice.

Reluctantly nodding, Ashley asked him again if he was sure, knowing what his answer would be as soon as she had. Moving back to Bo's side, she kissed him on the forehead, telling him she loved him and would see him in the morning. Then she wrapped her arms around Luke, telling him the same things, but making him promise to call if there was any change. Moving toward the door, she watched as her oldest uncle pulled up a chair then took hold of the blonde's hand. Gazing at the two men who had raised her, Ashley's eyes filled with tears as the reality of the situation hit her. Grown, married, having children of her own, when it came to Bo and Luke Duke, she was just a little girl and not ready to let either of her uncles go.


Luke wasn't sure how long he had sat there holding his cousin's hand and studying the features that he knew better than his own. They'd been together their whole lives; over a half century that had somehow slipped away from them. Thinking back over fifty years, Luke prayed for more. Ashley wasn't the only one who wasn't ready to let go yet.

Eventually brown hair slipped onto the edge of the bed and heavy eyelids closed. Movement under Luke's fingers brought those same eyelids open again, abruptly, but a fog covered brain wasn't as quick to clear as his eyes had been to open. Rubbing his hand over his face, Luke tried to place his surroundings. Looking to his watch, he couldn't clarify whether it was very early morning or very early evening. Remembering the previous day's events, Luke glanced at the reason he was waking in a chair rather than his own bed. He wasn't expecting to find to blue eyes, not fully awake either, staring back at him.

"Bo," Luke whispered, moving closer to the head of the bed.

"I had a heart attack, Luke," Bo mumbled, revealing that either he had been told at some point or he'd known what was happening at the time.

"I know, but you're going to be ok," Luke assured him, vowing to wait to find out how Bo knew all of this until later. The brunette really hoped that someone on staff had told him, because if the eldest Duke found out that Bo had known something was wrong and hadn't said anything, Luke Duke wasn't going to be responsible for his actions, once his cousin recovered.

"Sorry," Bo hoarsely apologized.

"Bo, you can't help it if you're sick," Luke told him. "Don't be sorry, just get better, ok?"

"Kay," he replied, reaching for Luke's hand, which wrapped itself around Bo's faster than the General Lee could outrun an old clunker.

"Get some more rest," Luke whispered as he brushed back a strand of Bo's golden hair. Unlike his cousin, who still had a full head of silky curls, Luke's hair had started to slowly disappear years before, and the blonde delighted in teasing his cousin about it.

Nodding but not saying anything, Bo took Luke's advice. Dozing in and out for the next few hours, he only began to fully wake moments before the rest of his family and his doctors made an appearance.

"Uncle Bo!" Ashley cried when she saw that her uncle was awake and there was no need to tiptoe into the room. Rushing to his side, she crouched down to hug him, which he returned while the rest of her family slowly made their way into the room.

"Kids aren't supposed to be in here at all and there's too many of you in here," Dr. Peters announced as he interrupted the family reunion before it had even gotten under way.

"I'm sure they just wanted to say hello," Dr. Erickson told his colleague, "but it might be best if everyone except Luke and Ashley waited outside now."

Saying a brief hello and goodbye to Bo, then secretly promising to sneak in later, Matthew escorted his children out of Bo's room leaving Ashley and Luke to listen to what the professionals were about to tell their patient.


Bo had been in the hospital for three days, undergoing a series of tests that would determine his fate. Swearing that he felt fine and couldn't understand how this had happened, he was more than ready to be told he could go home. However, what he wanted to hear and what he heard were two different things.

"I know it sounds scary, and it's not that it's not serious, but it's done all the time," Dr. Peters said, trying to alleviate the terrified looks around the room.

"Open heart surgery? You bet it sounds serious," Luke snorted sarcastically.

"But you need it, Uncle Bo, and everything is going to be all right," Ashley calmly countered, laying her hand on his shoulder.

Luke couldn't believe that his baby cousin, whom until a few days ago, he'd believed was fit and healthy could need such a delicate and serious surgery. Three blocked arteries had cut the blood flow to Bo's heart causing him to have a massive attack; one that did its share of damage. To ignore the problem would most surely result in another attack, and this time, Bo might not be as lucky. So, as petrified as the thought of open heart surgery was to the older Duke cousin, the thought of losing Bo forever was even worse, but the last thing that Bo needed to see was his fear.

That shouldn't have been a problem. Bo had always been the one in the family that wore his emotions on his sleeve; Luke had always been the one who had the hardest time showing his. This was different, though. This wasn't just anyone they were talking about; this was Bo. This was the one person that he knew better than anyone and who knew him better than anyone; the one that he couldn't hide his feelings from even when he wanted to. Convinced that one look at his face would tell Bo everything he needed to know, Luke did his best to erase the fear so Bo wouldn't see.

"Ashley's right," Luke swallowed. "Everything's gonna be fine. You'll probably be better than ya ever was," he said in a voice that gave him away regardless of what his face said.

"Hey! I ain't quite ready to check out yet, so just tell me where I gotta sign," Bo said, giving Luke his million dollar smile and wink for good measure.

Something about that smile Bo had was contagious, and Luke couldn't help but return it. It just had that affect on people. It was the wink, however, that was meant for only him, and Luke knew it. Their silent way of communicating; something they'd been doing since they were kids. That simple wink said a lot, and it didn't mean the same in every situation. Only Luke had the code book, and that wink's deciphered message was:

'I know you're scared Luke, and I know you're trying to be brave for me. I appreciate it, but you don't have to be. Everything is going to be ok. You'll see. Love ya. Bo.'"


Two days later, Bo was on the surgical schedule. Seeing no reason to wait, the doctors promised that he'd be glad when it was over. Bo couldn't argue with their reasoning, wanting to get back to his life as soon as possible. Having already been in the hospital a week, Bo would have agreed to almost anything to get out. He knew, though, that he was going to be there a little while longer, but there was another reason why he wanted to get it over with. His illness was starting to take its toll on his cousin and the rest of his family, too.

Bending the rules, thanks to their local doctor, the staff looked the other way as Ashley and Matthew snuck the children into Bo's room. As long as they were quiet and didn't stay too long, the staff pretended not to notice. The night before Bo's surgery, it wasn't the children that they should have worried about. As more and more people began to arrive, a party ensued. Finally hearing enough, the staff told everyone to get out, addressing their remarks at the Davenport cousins not the Ricketts children. By early evening, only immediate family was left, and Bo asked if he could speak to Ashley alone for a few minutes.

"What's up, Uncle Bo?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Ashley, first off, I just wanted to tell you how proud of ya I am."

"Uncle Bo, please," Ashley begged.

Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, Bo wrapped his arms around her. He assured her that he planned on being around for a long time to come, but wanted to make sure that she knew how much he loved her. Then he made her promise that in the event that something did go wrong, she'd look after Luke for him.

When the eldest Duke rejoined them, she did the right thing and offered to take him home. She expected him to refuse and he did. He expected her to protest, and she didn't. She simply bid them goodnight, promising to see them in the morning. She wasn't quite sure how she managed to make it out of the room before she giggled, but she did. Her Uncle Luke had been prepared to argue with her, expecting a debate, and when one didn't ensue, the look on his face was priceless. It was one she would always cherish and remember, and not something that she encountered often from her Uncle Luke. On that night, she just knew it was pointless to argue about it. Her uncles needed the time together, but she still had to make the offer.

It wasn't easy to cover a lifetime in a few hours. It also wasn't necessary. Bo and Luke didn't need to do it, they wanted to. They talked about things they hadn't thought of in years, intending to spend the entire night doing just that. Bo, however, was a patient in a hospital, and started getting sleepy just a couple of hours later. When his eyes started closing, Luke couldn't help but grin.

"Bo, go ahead and get some sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow, and we'll have plenty of time to talk later."

Bo simply nodded and mumbled, and Luke thought that Bo had already drifted off to dreamland. He wasn't sure whether he would doze off himself or just stare at his cousin all night, but he was surprised when Bo stirred a few minutes later. He was even more startled by the gesture. Bo had thrown back the blankets, slid himself to the far side of the bed, and was motioning for Luke take the other half of the bed.

Luke sat stunned for a moment. It wasn't as if they hadn't shared a bed before. They'd been doing it since they were kids and he wasn't uncomfortable with it. After all, this was Bo. Still, something in the back of his mind kept nagging him about the fact that they were in a hospital, which was a public place, the staff might get upset, someone might see and get the wrong idea. There were a million reasons to explain a hesitation for something that had never once bothered him before. An out of synch beep at the right moment reminded him that there were even better reasons not to hesitate: because it was Bo, because he was undergoing a very serious surgery in the morning, and because he might never get another opportunity. Luke didn't need to think about it any longer as he lowered the rail and climbed in.

"Bo, you're still hogging the whole bed."

"Am...not."

"Are too."


Bo could hear things going on around him; machines were chirping and people were talking. He was barely on the threshold of consciousness, but through his fogginess, he believed they were talking to him. It was hard to concentrate, but when he did, he could even make out what was being said. He was being called by name, and being told that he was loved. He believed that he was replying by saying that he loved them too, but he couldn't be sure.

"Love ya Bo."

That voice he recognized. It was Luke's, and no matter how hard it was, he had to respond. "Love ya…..too,…….Luke."

Bo thought that he'd lost the war to the darkness, but the chirping and the voices were invading his mind again. He tried again to focus on who was talking and what they were saying, but something seemed to be different. There were more voices than he remembered, and these weren't talking to him. They were talking to each other, and he thought they were talking about him. Yet, there was still one unmistakable voice, and that one was talking to him; Luke. His cousin was telling him that he loved him, which is the last thing that he could clearly remember. So, thinking that he'd dozed off for a few seconds, he started becoming confused. It wasn't until he realized that Luke was also telling him to wake up that he understood something was different.

Forcing his eyes to open to just slits, he saw Luke leaning over him and Ashley standing behind him. They were both smiling at him, a gesture Bo felt compelled to return. However, before he could, he became aware of something else that he hadn't remembered: pain. It wasn't excruciating, but it was enough to make him aware that something had happened to him. He just didn't know what.

Recognizing her uncle's expression, Ashley sprang into action. "It's ok, Uncle Bo. I'll go get the nurse to give you something."

Bo wanted to thank her, but could neither think of the words nor form them. All he could do was watch her walk away, hoping that her mission was successful. He was in pain, and it was growing steadily worse by the second. The only things keeping him from crying out was the comfort he was getting from someone running their hand through his hair, the gentle voice that was talking to him, and not being able to remember how to make his own voice work. Still, he knew the voice speaking to him; it was Luke's.

"It's ok, Bo. Ashley and the nurse will be right back. Just hang on. You're going to be okay. Doc says the operation went fine."

The words slowly sank in. He began to process what he was being told, and now it made sense. What he first remembered was getting ready to go into surgery. It was over now, and that was why he hurt so badly. Seeing Ashley walking back in the room, with a not so happy looking nurse at her heels, he watched as he saw her injecting something into his IV. He felt the effects immediately, and recognized the metallic taste of the painkillers. He would have gladly swallowed the entire syringe for the instantaneous relief it brought. No longer hurting, he also found himself no longer able to stay awake. Hearing Luke telling him to go back to sleep, and that he loved him, Bo thought to himself that this is where he'd gotten on that ride.

"Luke," he managed to mutter before giving into the darkness again. As he did, he felt the gentle squeeze of his hand, and he felt safe enough to allow himself to go, knowing that Luke would be there to watch over him.