Okay, okay. I know. This took a while. Believe me if you could see my life right now I guarantee you would understand. At any rate, I hope it was worth the wait... as always, please R and R. Thanks! -Jordy
Jesse and Daisy were met in the hallway by Luke when they stepped off the elevator that morning.
"Luke! What are you doin'… shouldn't ya be in bed?"
"They just signed my release papers… said I just need to take it easy for a while."
"Well, good…good… how's Bo?" asked Jesse.
"Go ask him yerself… he just got back from X-ray a little while ago."
"He's awake?" asked Daisy, not quite believing her ears.
"He's awake… he asked me t' go fetch him a couple things, but I'll be right back." With a twinkle in his eye, Luke smiled to himself and got in the elevator to find the gift shop.
Bo lay in bed, staring intently out the nearby window. There was so much he had not appreciated before. He had never noticed how blue a sky could be or how a cloud could look as soft as summer cotton. Bo was tired… very tired, but he couldn't close his eyes. He wanted to take everything in, little by little. Besides that, part of him was afraid that if he closed his eyes, he might not open them again.
Ya know with all that boy's been through, I can't say as I blame'm.
He was so focused on his surroundings that he didn't notice Jesse and Daisy come in.
"Bo?"
Bo turned his head and smiled.
"Hey, y'all…"
"Oh, honey, we were so worried 'bout you," began Daisy, wiping away tears as she hugged Bo carefully.
"Daisy, ya sure are… a sight… for sore eyes…"
"What?" asked Daisy, unsure if she had heard him correctly.
Bo grinned. "Ya always did… look good… in yellow."
"Ya can see…" whispered Jesse. "Ya can see!"
Daisy shouted with joy and leaped into Luke's arms as he entered the room with a bag in his hand.
"Whoa there girl," chided Jesse. "That boy ain't up t' yer shenanigans yet."
"Why didn't ya tell us?" demanded Daisy playfully punching Luke on the arm.
"I just figured Bo'd wanna do that… here…." He tossed the sack to his cousin. "They had one issue of "Hot Rod" and one "Road and Track." Not much t' choose from."
"That's alright… jus' glad… I don't…. need ya …to read 'em t' me."
"Ya havin' trouble breathin', son?"
"Yes, sir, Uncle Jesse," managed Bo.
"That's what the x-rays were for, Uncle Jesse… t' find out why," explained Luke, a look of concern on his face. "Do ya hurt any, Bo?"
Bo hesitated. He didn't want to worry them. "Some."
Jesse nodded. "Well, where is the doc? He should be…"
A moment later, Bo's doctor entered the room, carrying with him several files.
"Good. You're all here. I have the results from Bo's x-rays…"
"And?" asked Jesse.
"Well, perhaps we can talk in the hallway…"began the doctor nodding his head at Bo who had just dropped off to sleep.
The Dukes followed the doctor into the hallway and shut Bo's door.
"Well, near as I can tell, his breathing trouble is mostly due to his broken ribs. Of course his history of asthma coupled with the prolonged exposure to that water didn't help."
"He said he hurt, doc. Is he…?"
"Well, Miss Duke, his ribcage is likely to be very sore… and aside from pain medication, there is nothing we can do except let it heal on its own. He does have a moderate concussion. That will need to be watched closely…"
"Will he be alright?" asked Luke, eyeing Bo's door with worry.
"Well, he won't be running any marathons for a while, but I think if he lays low for a while and keeps quiet, he should be back to his old self in no time."
I don't know 'bout y'all, but I think it'd be a might easier for Bo to run a marathon than t' ever lay low an' be quiet!
Luke hugged Daisy tightly, burying his face in her sweet-smelling hair.
"Praise be!" shouted Jesse. "Well, now, I don't know 'bout you, but I feel like celebratin'. How about some vittles?"
"Sounds good, Uncle Jesse," answered Luke.
"Well, let's go down t' the cafeteria an' see what they got."
"You go ahead, Daisy. I'll meet y'all down there."
Jesse nodded and taking Daisy's arm, walked to the elevator.
Luke turned and entered Bo's room once more. He sat in the much-used chair next to his cousin's bed and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the stray tears that trickled down his cheeks.
"God, Bo… I thought we lost ya," whispered Luke, pushing his cousin's honey-blonde hair back from his face with one hand and taking Bo's hand with the other.
"Ya didn't, cousin… I'm here," murmured Bo softly. He opened his eyes in surprise as he felt his cousin's hand trembling.
"Luke? Aw, Luke..." began Bo, realizing that his cousin was crying, something he rarely did. In fact, Bo hadn't seen Luke cry since he fell out of the old oak tree in the yard back when he was ten years old.
"Bo, I was so… scared," confessed Luke wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Me too," answered Bo with a yawn.
"I oughta let ya get back t' sleep."
"'Fore ya go, could ya get me somethin'?"
"Sure thing, Bo. Whatcha want?"
"Will ya hand me my jeans outta the closet there?"
"Yer jeans? Why? You ain't goin' nowhere…" began Luke as he pulled the folded pair of jeans from the closet and set them on Bo's bed.
Bo moved slightly and dug in the pockets. "No…. but you are… an' you never… go anywhere… without this…." He took Luke's hand and closed it around something small and cold to the touch.
I got me a feelin' I know what that is… how 'bout you?
