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Bo pulled the pickup truck in the driveway and parked it behind the General Lee. Compared to the bright orange stock car, Jessie's pickup truck looked tattered and worn. However it was a reliable vehicle and that was one reason Jessie had let him take it today. There was no need for them all to go to Doc Applebee's office, as it was in town, and not far away like the Atlanta physician had been.
Bo got out of the truck, almost using the window out of habit, and walked over to where he saw a pair of blue-jean clad legs attached to a torso that was busy under the hood of the General. He gave the rear-end a slight slap and the body attached to it jumped and the head popped up to smile at him.
"Hey, Cuz," Luke greeted. His hands were deep in the engine tightening something and he bit his lip between his upper and lower teeth as he put all his muscle into the task.
Bo joined him on the other side of the car and tried to figure out just what he was doing this time. He traced the direction of the hands and grinned. "Manifold?" he asked.
"Yup." Luke agreed. "How did the doctor's visit go?" He finished up one bolt and began on the next one.
Bo's happy mood vanished like a wisp of steam. He stared at the engine and considered not answering. Then he looked up to the boy he had grown up with, the one he thought should have been his brother, rather than his cousin. The dark disheveled head was now watching him and waiting for an answer. He sighed. "Well, it didn't go the way I wanted it to."
Luke pulled the wrench he had been using out of the engine and laid it on the edge of the car. He took a good look at his cousin and noticed the reddened eyes, and the general puffiness of his face. Either Bo had been crying, which was rare, or he had been suffering again from the allergies. He guessed it was more likely the second rather than the first, as the air today was ripe with pollen and Bo had already spend a considerable amount of time outside. "You okay? Want to talk about it?" His tone was soft and inviting, the same one he used whenever he found Bo upset about something.
"Not really, no." Bo replied and picked up a nearby rag and tossed it to Luke who caught it with one greasy hand. "But I know I'm gonna have to tell Jessie, so you might as well follow me and this way I'll only have to tell it once. Is he in the barn or the house?"
Luke wiped the grease from his fingers and pointed towards the house. "He's inside, getting some things together for the charity tag sale at the church."
Bo nodded and turned away from the General, sniffing and wiping his still runny nose on his shirtsleeve. He had been feeling miserable since he left the house this morning, and staying outside wasn't making him feel any better. A breeze blew across the land and he groaned knowing what was coming next. The house was a mere 25 feet from the driveway, but it might as well have been a football field away as the air tortured his already aching sinuses. The farm normally carried many smells, from the animals to the grass he had just cut yesterday morning, all the dang trees, and assorted pollens from Mother Nature.
He wrinkled his nose and tried to suppress the coming sneezes as he crossed the short distance to the door. He made it to the threshold and reached for the knob just as his willpower gave out on him and his body demanded that he sneeze now. He turned slightly away and pulled his hand away from the knob to cover his nose and mouth as the urge intensified. His body tensed up and his eyes closed as he broke down and sneezed. "Hah-Chuhhh!!" He bent over slightly from the force of it. His eyes remained closed as he realized that was just the first of many sneezes to come. "Heh-KESHhhh! Heh-eh-KESHooo!!"
Luke had been just behind his cousin and he now began rubbing the hunched over back with one hand while reaching into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out his blue bandana. He shook it open with a swift movement and stuffed it into the hands of his still sneezing cousin. From the way Bo was panting, Luke figured this was going to be one of the bigger fits. "Take it easy, Cuz," he soothed while continuing to rub the shoulders that were now shaking as the fit intensified.
Bo was unable to reply as his body tensed and released, then tensed again with the almost instantaneous next sneeze. "EhKshhh!! KESHHH!! Hah-KESHH!! KEHT-Chuhhh!!" He pressed the blue cloth to his nose and tried to take a breath of air but was unable to due to the fact he was sneezing almost every other second. He reached out blindly for the door, trying to get it open so he could get inside and away from the air that was causing his misery.
Luke realized what his cousin was trying to do and opened the door for him. He then gently guided Bo inside then closed the door behind them. Bo was now groping his way towards the living room and the small air conditioner in one window that provided relatively cleaner air. He knew that if he stood in front of it, his sneezing would lessen. The small unit was always on, for it was easier to leave it running than to constantly turn it on and off all the time.
Luke took Bo's hand and guided him to the chair placed right by the unit. The chair had been relocated there when it had become apparent that Bo would be sitting there quite often. Bo was still sneezing harshly and it took a moment for the fresh air to kick in on Bo's tortured nose. When the fit finally slowed, Bo realized that Luke had perched on the arm of the chair and was still rubbing his back, speaking softly to soothe him. Bo took a deep breath and shuddered thorough a giant sigh.
Luke was watching him with concern. "Bless you. Feeling better now?" When the blond head nodded he moved from his perch to take a more comfortable seat on the couch.
Bo raised the bandana and blew his nose harshly, then turned the cloth and blew again. He felt like he had just been put through a marathon. He sagged wearily against the back of the chair and closed his eyes while resting one hand on his forehead. "That was horrible," he said with a weak voice.
Luke started to respond but the sound of approaching footsteps made him halt what he was about to say. The sound was then followed by his uncle entering the room, his arms full of old books that he had obviously brought down from the attic. Luke jumped up and went to take some of the books. Jessie followed Luke into the room and put them down on the coffee table as Luke did the same.
"Was that you I heard, Bo?" He asked while raking his eyes over the youngest of his nephews. "It had to have been," he answered himself. "I don't think I've heard Luke sneeze more than twice. God bless." He sat in the other chair in the room, opposite the sofa and picked up one of the books to examine it.
Bo ran his hand down his face and rubbed at his eyes which were still watering and itching. "Thanks."
Jessie put the first book down and picked up a second one. "So what did Doc Applebee have to say?"
Bo scrubbed at his nose with one of the dry spots on the bandana. He glanced over to where Luke was sitting, picking up books and handing them one at a time to Jessie. "Well, he said there wasn't nuttin he could do except a series of shots, which, according to him were both expensive and not fully guaranteed to work." Bo shrugged, and tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. "He says I have got to learn to live with it."
Luke picked up another one of the dusty books and frowned as he tried to make out the title on it. The leather bound volume was thickly coated with years of built up grime. Luke turned away from Bo and blew lightly on the cover, scattering the dust away from his cousin. He still managed to get a bit of it and coughed, then waved a hand in front of his face as his nose protested the invasion of years of dirt. "IHHHEshhooo!! HIHTChsssh!!" The sneezes were short and harsh and there were only two of them.
Jessie smirked. "God bless. Told ya there was never more than two."
Luke rubbed his nose against his sleeve. "Thanks." He turned his attention back to Bo and resumed the previous conversation as he handed the now slightly cleaner book back to his uncle. "There wasn't anything he could do? Nothing else he could give you?"
Bo simply shook his head.
Jessie looked over the book Luke had handed him. He opened it and thumbed through it for a moment, then put it in the pile to give away. He then looked from Luke to Bo and his gaze stopped there. "Did he say how much them shots were gonna cost?"
The blond head shook again. "No, just said I would have to go twice a week for about 6 months, maybe more depending on how well the shots work and what I'm allergic to."
Jessie's face took on a thoughtful expression. "Would you mind taking the shots?"
Bo had expected this. He shook his head, knowing already what his uncle was up to. "Well, no, but-"
"No buts." Jessie interrupted. "Now I want you to-"
They never got to find out exactly what Jessie wanted Bo to do as the CB in the corner of the room crackled on. "This is Rosco P. Coltrane to any of the Dukes. Y'all got your ears on?" The greeting was unlike his normal one, and it sounded very urgent.
Being the closest one, Luke got up and picked up the mike. "You got us on the homestead, Rosco. What's up?"
"Luke, is that you?" Rosco started to say but then continued without waiting for an answer. "No, matter. You need to get to the Boars Nest immediately." The voice now took on a panicked note. Rosco usually only sounded like this if someone was in real danger.
"Rosco, calm down." Luke said while watching the faces of his cousin and uncle. Both were wearing the same expression of impending doom and Bo was already standing, ready to bolt, should need arise. "Now tell us what's wrong."
"It's on fire! The whole building's on fire. En Boss and Daisy are trapped inside!" Rosco's voice now hit a new high note. "They couldn't get out!"
Luke didn't even wait to hear any more. He dropped the mike and literally flew right out the door with Bo on his heels. It was a good thing he had finished tightening the bolts on the General before going inside. With one hand he slammed the hood closed and with the other he knocked the tools to the ground. With a grace he didn't realize he had, he slid into the window and started the car even before Bo was fully sitting in the passenger seat. The car took off in a spray of dirt, grass and dust.
As they spun away from the farm, Luke picked up the CB mike and radioed the Fire Department. "This is Lost Sheep to the Hazzard Fire Department." When they answered, he relayed the information, and was relieved to hear they were already en route. He also found out that Rosco and Enos were on the scene as well.
Still Luke pressed the pedal to the floor and drove like his own behind was on fire. He was going to break new speed records for getting to the Boars Nest. He knew that it wouldn't take long for the fire to rage out of control and minutes were all that Boss and Daisy had.
He chanced a look at Bo and saw his cousin was as white as a sheet. "It will be okay, Bo." He tried to sound reassuring, but he felt the panic he was feeling was being conveyed instead. "She'll be fine."
Bo didn't say anything but kept his hands pressed tightly against the dash, as if by doing so he could make the car go even faster. His own panic settled in his chest and he felt like he was being smothered. He took a deep breath and said a silent prayer that they would get there in time.
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