"Luke, you can't do that!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Are you outta your mind?" Jesse snarled. "You've seen fer yourself what them experimental drugs have done ta Bo. You want the same thing happenin' to you?"

"I just think Bo's been through enough. It was bad enough that he was buried alive, but now between the dreams and the hypnotism and the drugs, his mind's a mess. I ain't about to let somethin' else happen to him, not if I can help it."

"Dr. Kilmer." Daisy spoke up. "If the new drug is administered straight to Bo, what do you think we can expect?"

"Well, we can't beone hundred percentsure, but based on research, we're fairly certain that the outcome will be the complete elimination of the numbing drug which should return Bo to normal. The second possible outcome…." He began, looking to the Major for encouragement to continue. "……..is a slight chance that Bo's violence could be emphasized, both in time and in volume."

Jesse shook his head. "What makes you think that?"

"We have conducted animal tests on this drug as well. Of the 25 animals used in the experiment, only one showed the adverse reaction I mentioned. However, it was later shown that the animal had a disease not previously diagnosed. There's always a possibility that the animal may have had that reaction because of his disease. Either way, the overall test results were good."

"So, that fact aside, if Bo is given this drug, there's roughly a 4 percentchance that he could get sicker and stay that way longer?" Jesse asked.

"That's our theory, Mr. Duke. Of course, since we're not sure if the disease played a factor in the animal and there has been no human testing yet, we can't say that conclusively."

"And what about Luke? If he takes it, what can he expect?" Daisy asked.

"If he does take it, we are of the opinion that there's also about a 4 percent chance that he could show some symptoms that are similar to Bo's." Dr. Kilmer stated in a matter of fact way. "You see, the elimination drug is thought to work in a way some preventative injections or antibiotics do. Part of the drug is a weakened form of what was already given to Bo, such as many antibiotics are weakened forms of the disease a patient is suffering from. In Luke's case, with him having no previous exposure, the best way to look at it would be like looking at someone taking a flu shot: The preventative injection itself carries a risk of becoming sick, just as taking this experimental drug would."

"Okay, let's say Luke took it and it resulted in a worse case scenario. How long would he stay sick?"

"Although not on the same level as Bo, we think it would take 1-2 months for him to recover."

In a nutshell…." The Major began. "We know the best case scenarios. Worse case shows that Luke is given the drug and could be sick for up to two months, and Bo would still be sick for four, or the drug could be give directly to Bo, who could then stay sick for about 6 months. Again, that's worse case."

The Dukes sat and took it all in before Luke turned to Jesse. "What are you thinkin', Jess?"

"I'm thinkin' worst case don't look good no matter which direction we go."

"But Jesse." Luke argued. "Even if things do turn out bad, it sounds like I'm only gonna be sick two months. Either way, Bo would be better in four. Whereas, if they go ahead and give it to Bo without testing me first, we could be looking at six, and that'd put a real strain on us durin' harvest time."

Uncle Jesse eyed him slyly. "Ya think yer real smart, don't ya? I know that if Bo got bad off we'd not have him at harvest. But that don't concern me near as much as makin' sure that things turn out for the best for both you boys." He sighed. "I still don't like none of it. Not one bit. But I know you love Bo ever bit as much as I do and if this is somethin' you feel ya need to do fer him, then I'll not say nothin' more about it."

Luke offered his uncle a hug then turned to Dr. Kilmer. "When can we get started?" he asked.

XXXXXXXXXX

About two hours later, Luke was settled in a room in a restricted area of the hospital and the drug had been administered to him. Dr. Kilmer came out to inform Jesse and Daisy of the fact as they sat gripping each other's hand nervously.

"He's sleeping right now. It won't take long for the drug to be fully introduced to his system. That's when we will know something one way or another."

"And how is Bo doing right now?" Jesse asked.

"Mr. Duke, I'm afraid he's the same as when we brought him in. Foster and Dewberry did so much to try to correct their error that he's more or less over-drugged right now. We are currently working on a vigorous detox method to eliminate some of the other drugs in his system. Once we have cleared some of them, then we should be able to give him something to help him sleep."

"Can we see him?" Daisy asked.

Dr. Kilmer patted her on the shoulder. "I'm afraid not Miss. It wouldn't do him any good, and I'm certain it wouldn't do you any good. Later, when we're able to get him sedated, you will be welcome to visit."

Daisy nodded and Uncle Jesse thanked the doctor when he turned to leave. He had no sooner got out the door than Cooter came in.

"Hey Cooter! How did you know we were here?" Daisy asked.

"Word travels fast. Sheriff Little called Rosco and let him know what happened at the motel. Rosco told Enos who came and told me. Thought I better get down here in a hurry, find out what's goin' on for myself."

Since Cooter had been there when Major Edwards made the initial announcement concerning Bo, Jesse and Daisy filled him in on everything he had missed out on, from Major Edward's explanation to detailed events at the motel to the current situation with Luke. By the time it was all over, Cooter was pacing the floor.

"Just make me feel better. Tell me that Lukas had a chance to beat them doctor's to a pulp before they's thrown behind bars." He asked, beating a fist into his other hand.

"We's too busy attending to Bo to worry about that." Daisy admitted. "But given the chance in the future, I'm sure that Luke, and Bo, would be more than happy to make you feel better."

"Mr. Duke?"

The group looked up to see Dr. Kilmer standing in the door. "The drug has had time to work. Would you like to be there when we wake Luke up?"

Everyone had a nervous knot in the pit of their stomachs. Still, Jesse nodded. He grabbed his crutches and began to hop down the hall behind Dr. Kilmer as Daisy and Cooter followed.

After going past several restricted doors, they arrived at a room to find Luke laying there, appearing to sleep peacefully. They surrounded the bed.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Kilmer asked.

After everyone nodded, he looked at Daisy. "Call him."

"Luke." Daisy began, rubbing his hand the way she often did when he woke up at the farm. "Luke, time to wake up."

When he didn't immediately respond, she tried again. "Luke! Luke come on now. Sleeping time is over."

Looking at Uncle Jesse and Cooter, she leaned forward one more time. "Luke….."

Suddenly, Luke opened his eyes! Turning to Daisy with an evil stare, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him!

Yep, them worms outta that big ole' can are still crawlin' all over the place. I'd sure like to grab a handful of them about now and take off fishin'—and forget any of this is happenin'.