A/N - Hi! Boy when you guys said you wanted a sequel, you weren't kidding, were you? I'm overwhelmed at the response. Thanks for the reviews - they really helped as this story is giving me a lot of trouble. I am gladly accepting comments and suggestions.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.
BLOOD BROTHERS
CHAPTER 2
CHANGES
Luke Duke knew that his inability to remain focussed was going to get him into trouble. He wasn't in a situation where he could afford to let his mind wander, yet, wander it did; right back home to Hazzard. It hadn't been more than a few weeks since he'd been there, but it felt like it was years. He only prayed that his distraction didn't end up getting someone killed, including himself.
He didn't even know why he was so anxious. Unlike the last time, Bo's letters were upbeat, and they arrived like clockwork. He seemed happy, but Luke couldn't help but wonder why he had given up playing all the sports he loved in his final year of school. As a senior, he would have been king of the mountain, and he was already a local celebrity on the playing field. To Luke, it didn't make any sense. Looking for any hint of something amiss, he couldn't find it. Daisy and Jesse's letters seemed to confirm that all was well with their words, but something didn't feel right in their letters, either. Ignoring what they said, he once again found himself writing to his uncle as to whether or not everything really was as fine as they were making it sound. Regardless of what the notes from home said, the only words Luke could concentrate on were the ones Bo had whispered to him before he returned to active duty.
Then there were the dreams. The Marine no longer envisioned Bo falling, thankful for small favors. However, his youngest cousin filled his night time thoughts in a haunting way. He could understand dreaming about Bo if he'd been replaying things that they'd done or moments that they'd shared, but that wasn't what he was seeing. Unfortunately, he wasn't positive what his mind was witnessing. He didn't think that he'd ever experienced any of the images. They weren't even vivid, and by morning he couldn't remember them. All he knew was that he'd wake up with a sense of foreboding, feeling that Bo was in trouble and needed him.
Everything was coming to a head. The dreams, the worrying, the longing to be back home were wearing Luke down. Whether it was a prayer answered or a curse, Luke wouldn't know for a long time to come, but after being back in Asia for only a short time, his luck ran out. First he got separated from his platoon, lost in a stretch of jungle he wasn't familiar with. Then, the pain in his shoulder was excruciating, enough so to cause him to lose the battle to stay awake. His last conscious thought and word spoken was 'Bo.'
Luke's life may have returned to something he was familiar with as the autumn breeze turned slightly cooler in Hazzard, but Bo's life had changed entirely. Now sporting a ball cap both day and night, the seventeen year old had new challenges to face.
Enduring the first of several scheduled sessions, no one could have adequately prepared Bo or his family for how sick he would be. During the procedure, he was fine. Even the needles didn't bother him as he'd already had an access device inserted into his arm. Rather than pricking his skin every time, the needles were connected via two little plastic ports. As long as he wore long sleeves, no one could even see it. Though it had hurt at the time, once he saw the needles and realized that he'd be seeing them again on several more occasions, he was glad they had found an alternative. After the nurses hooked him up, he and Daisy played cards with the deck she had brought along. Still feeling fine, he started feeling warm and that made him sleepy. The last thing he remembered was seeing Daisy smiling down at him and feeling her hand rubbing his back.
The first two days had been the worst, not even closely comparable to the sickest he'd ever been in his life. Daisy refused to leave his side, assuming the role of the oldest cousin in Luke's absence. Jesse remained close-by, too, but let his niece slip into the role of a mama bear protecting her cub. Cooter, Enos, and other fine folks of Hazzard showed their support by stopping by and helping to tend to the farm. The only one outside of the immediate family allowed to have seen Bo at his worst was Cooter, but the patient hadn't even been aware of his presence. If he had been, he would have been appalled, but then he wasn't really aware of Jesse or Daisy, either. The only person he occasionally asked for was Luke as his hand clung to a little piece of his absent cousin.
By the end of the second day, he was a little more alert and not as deathly ill. He slept most of the time, murmuring the names of his family when he was conscious, but always asking for Luke as he was pulled under.
Having been left weak, Bo was confined to his room for another two days. Showing his determination to fight and win, and to lead as normal a life as possible, he forced himself up by the end of that week. Despite everyone's objections, he performed as many chores as he could, and in his free time, he continued to rummage around for motor components. Cooter had already confiscated a few for the boys, and started going with Bo to the junk yards. The youngest Duke didn't know that his uncle had asked the family friend to go with him, too afraid to let him wander off by himself. The efforts were starting to pay off, and they had already accumulated a good majority of items on the list. Bo didn't know if he'd ever get to see the engine completed, but at least he could keep his promise to Luke in some small way. Whether he ever saw it or drove it, he would know that a part of him would always be in whatever car his cousin built.
Bo was doing his best to keep all the promises he'd made to Luke. He never again even thought about Widow's Peak, and he was trying his best to finish school and graduate. That was the hardest vow to fulfill, and if he hadn't promised his cousin that he would finish high school, he would have dropped out. It was already hard, missing so much time and it only promised to get worse. He had also been concerned about how the kids would react to his condition and his new look. Much to his surprise, they treated him better than they ever had. Bo chalked it up to pity, but decided to make the best of it. If he had felt better, he really would have enjoyed all the invitations that he started receiving. As it was, his uncle wouldn't let him attend most of them, reminding him that he had enough on his plate and wearing himself out wasn't going to help. Bo especially basked in the attention that the girls were paying to him, glad that his new look hadn't turned them completely off. It was too bad that he didn't share their opinion.
Except for the common complications, Bo bounced back very quickly. Combatting the side effects of the first treatment delayed the second one, but not by much. Instead of going six weeks, Bo was going to have to go eight. Jesse was worried about the disruption, but his doctor friend assured him that it was very common, and should not hinder the progress. The Duke patriarch was also concerned by the fact that the results didn't seem to be as optimistic as they'd hoped for. His friend also assured him that wasn't uncommon, either.
Bo just wanted to make sure that his health didn't interfere with Thanskgiving. He loved the holidays, and as long as he underwent the second round by early to mid-November, he was hopeful that he'd be able to enjoy them. He should be over any negative reactions he may enounter, and he wouldn't be due to go back for the third treatment until after the New Year. He was looking forward to the holiday season, a little afraid that it might be his last one. If it was, he wanted to be able to appreciate it.
Trying to make the best of a bad situation, the letter couldn't have come at a worse time. If Jesse had known what to expect in the mail that day, he would have gotten it earlier. He wasn't in possession of a crystal ball, though, so he hadn't had time to digest the news himself before the kids came home.
Daisy had picked up Bo from school, and the two were walking in the door. Jesse was standing there holding the piece of paper. They knew immediately that something was wrong, and they had a feeling they knew what it was.
"Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked.
"No!" Daisy cried, not believing that she might lose both of her cousins in a short period of time. She'd been playing nursemaid to Bo for several weeks, but that afternoon he had to hold her up or she would have fallen over. Wrapping his arms around her, he lowered her into a chair. Pulling up another next to hers, he kept his hold on her as they waited for their uncle to speak.
"It says that Luke is presumed dead," he whispered, looking from the letter to his kids.
"Oh no!" Daisy sobbed, turning to Bo.
"Don't you cry, Daisy. Luke ain't dead," he told her, rubbing her back as she had done so many times to him over the last few weeks. He saw the look his uncle gave him, but he refused to budge. "He's not. I know he's not. He promised he'd come home, and a Duke never breaks their promise."
Jesse wanted to tell him that Luke would never intentionally go back on his word, but this time he might not have been able to keep it. He knew that he should, but he couldn't. He wanted to believe just as Bo did, but he was old enough to know that things didn't always work out like they were supposed to. He feared the worst. Yet, he didn't correct Bo. It wouldn't do either of his nephews any good for him to try. If he was successful and he got his youngest to believe that Luke might be dead, Bo would give up, and he would lose both of them for sure. For the time being, all they had was hope.
Luke couldn't place anything. There was noise all around him, but he couldn't tell what it was. He could smell something, a pleasant odor, but he didn't recognize it, either. Then he became aware of something he was very familiar with, pain. His left shoulder hurt like the devil. Testing the reflexes of his eyelids, he slowly started to raise them. After blinking a few times, he managed to keep them open. Taking a moment to focus, he found himself staring into the largest pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen. A wide smile lit them up even more, and Luke couldn't help but return the gesture.
"Hello," a small voice with an Asian accent greeted him.
"Hi!" Luke whispered back, taking a good look at the person who was staring down at him.
A young boy about nine or ten was grinning at him. "You sleep long time."
"Where am I?" Luke asked.
"In my village, Tan Phu."
A look of confusion crossed Luke's face, trying to figure out how he'd gotten there and why. He didn't know if a small child would be able to answer his many questions or not, or even how to ask them. Before he got a chance, a petite woman joined them, smiling and speaking in a tongue Luke still couldn't understand. She was holding a small bowl, and Luke guessed that it was the universal language of food or drink.
"My mother bring you...," the boy couldn't think of the word.
Luke looked in the bowl. "Soup?"
"Yes, soup, that is right word?" he asked, and Luke nodded. "It very good. Make you better. You are hurt."
The lady helped Luke to sit up, then held the bowl up to his lips. All of his training told him that he should be cautious. In this war, you couldn't identify the enemy on sight, but for some reason, he didn't fear these people. He just didn't believe that they would care for him if they intended on hurting him more. Taking a sip, he took a few more. "Thank you, it is good," he said, while the small boy translated for his mother. She smiled back after understanding what he had said, then nodded in the customary way.
"How'd I get here?" Luke asked.
"My father bring you. He find you in jungle, hurt. My mother make you better. He go fight with Americans." Luke nodded, as the woman started speaking to her son. "When he come back, he bring Americans with him. They take you home, yes?"
"God, I hope so," Luke whispered, thinking there was no place he'd rather be than back in Hazzard.
After Luke had eaten as much as he could, he drifted back to sleep. When he woke the second time, he found the boy still sitting by his side. He had to smile at his wide-eyed curiousity and generous nature. This was a side to the conflict that most people never thought about; the civilians who lived in the war zone. Luke wondered how this God awful fight had affected their lives, as he heard a battle off in the distance. Asia or America, some things didn't make any difference. Human compassion and caring was indigenous in some form to all continents. The boy's innocence also reminded him of home, and of someone he knew. Luke reached into his pocket, praying that he hadn't lost the picture during a journey he couldn't remember. He hadn't, and he pulled it out. As he looked at it, the boy did, too.
"That is you. Who is the other with the white hair?"
"My cousin, Bo," Luke laughed. Except for the ones that were shipped over with him, he hadn't seen a blonde in a very long time, and didn't imagine that the small child had either.
"Cousin? Bo?"
Luke grinned a little more. "His name is Bo, and his dad and mine were brothers."
"Oh!" the boy exclaimed, understanding now the concept of what a cousin was. "You like cousin?"
"I love cousin," Luke told him. Reaching into his other pocket, he got out a second picture. This one was of the entire family, and Luke introduced him to Daisy and Uncle Jesse.
"She pretty cousin," the boy observed.
"Yeah, she is," Luke agreed, finding more common ground between their two countries.
"I have cousins, too. Some pretty, some not. Some I love, some I don't. Where do you live in America?"
"Hazzard, Georgia," Luke replied.
"Will you tell me about where you live?"
As the last of the daylight gave way to a pitch black, Luke told the boy all about his home and his family. Luke knew that the child had informed him that his father would be coming back with Americans, but when the door burst open, Luke reached for his gun, placing his body in front of the boy. It took him a minute to comprehend that the calvary had arrived, and for the fire in his shoulder to diminish enough for him to breathe.
With the help of his commrades, Luke said goodbye to his hosts, trying to thank them as best he could. He didn't know what would have happened to him had they not found him and then took him into their home and cared for him, placing themselves at great risk. Throughout the rest of the night, he was led through the jungle. As the sun started to peek, he was placed on a helicopter with several others. Most were in worse shape than he was, obviously prompting the prearranged rendezvous. The chopper lifted into the sky, and Luke watched Viet Nam grow smaller in the distance. By the end of that night he was on a floating hospital somewhere off the coast of another foreign land.
"Sir, we need your name, rank and serial number," a doctor informed. "Your dog tags are missing. Do you know where they are?"
"No sir," Luke replied. He gave the information to the nurse. He didn't think to double check that she had recorded it correctly. If he had, his family might have been notified that he'd been found and was safe. Luke, however, didn't even realize that he'd been listed as MIA so that thought never entered his mind.
From the hospital ship, to a base hospital, and eventually back to the states took a few weeks. Luke decided against calling his family, even though he had good news. He was going to be fine, but had received a medical discharge; he was coming home. To him, that was great news, and he knew it would be to them, too, but he wanted to deliver it in person. No matter how hard he would assure them that he was fine, they'd still worry until they saw him. All he knew was that he'd be home in plenty of time for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season, and that was the second best gift Santa had ever brought him; the first being his family, of course.
Sometimes, all a person has to hold onto are the small things. That's what Bo told himself. He didn't have much in the way of worldly possessions, and he'd never been known as the luckiest person around, but for once, something worked out the way he wanted. His second go-around had been scheduled for the first week in November. That meant he should be feeling better by Thanksgiving, and he wouldn't have to miss Halloween, either. It gave him something to look forward to before his next trip to Tri-County General, and something to focus on before and afterwards, and looking forward to anything those days was hard to come by in the Duke household. Bo felt guilty for making Daisy and his uncle worry about him so much. They tried their best, but they were always sad. He knew it was in part attributable to him, but he also knew they believed Luke to be lost. He didn't; his cousin had promised.
Besides taking the cards with them again, this time Daisy packed a few other things. Now that they'd been through it once, they knew more what to expect. Though Bo said that he felt warm after just a little while, he'd also been cold. She packed a light blanket, thinking that her cousin would like something cozy tucked around him. She'd asked for a blanket last time, but by the time they brought one, Bo was ready to go home. She also grabbed a couple of the goose feather pillows that were so much softer than the foam ones the medical facility passed out. A couple of cans of 7-Up, some crackers and cookies for snacks, a car magazine for Bo, the newspaper for her uncle, and a book for herself, and they were all set.
Things had gone well again, but by the time they got back to the farm, it was all they could do to get Bo inside the house. He'd been tired last time, but this time he could barely walk. If Luke had been there, he would have carried him, but neither Daisy or Jesse could easily tote Bo's long frame. It wasn't because he was heavy; he wasn't. He'd always been thin, and he'd lost weight in the last few weeks. It was just because he was so tall and neither of them could handle his height. Daisy made a note to ask Cooter to be there next time. Besides Luke, the mechanic could handle Bo, too.
Settling him in bed, Daisy perched herself in the chair next to him. Jesse offered to stay, but she said they'd be fine. There was something about the way she comforted Bo that he really liked, and it was the most soothing remedy they'd found. Daisy was glad to do it, and Jesse was just grateful that there was some little thing they could do to make Bo feel better, even if it wasn't much. Knowing that Bo wouldn't be eating for the next couple of days, and that they wouldn't be that hungry either, Jesse said he'd put something together for dinner. He peeked in the room quite often, but Daisy was becoming as protective of Bo as Luke had always been, and was demonstrating that she was just as competent. Though Bo had initally always asked for Luke, he was starting to look for Daisy, too, and Jesse was willing to do whatever it took for his youngest to feel safe and loved, even if it meant letting Daisy sit with him instead of himself.
"Daisy?" Bo whimpered.
"It's ok, sugar. I'm right here," she told him, working the circles on his back that he so loved.
Nodding, but not speaking, Bo fell back asleep.
Luke Duke thanked the stranger for the ride, then watched as his tail lights grew dimmer in the darkness as it left him in its dust. He knew he shouldn't have accepted the offer, hitchhiking was dangerous. Yet, he was so anxious to get home, he threw caution to the wind. Even with a healing gunshot wound he could take on an older gentleman should he have turned out to be any type of threat. He hadn't, and now Luke was only a couple miles from the rest of his life. Throwing his pack over his good shoulder, he started walking in the direction of the family farm.
All the lights were on when he turned up the drive. Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to imagine what each of his family members were doing inside. One thing he was fairly certain that Bo wasn't doing was studying. He'd never cared for homework, and he doubted he was hitting the books too hard in his final year. He thought about his other cousin, Daisy, and wondered if she and Bo would be in the living room playing a game or watching TV. Then it occured to him that she might not even be home. She was the best looking girl in Hazzard, and it was very possible that she was out on a date. Finally, he thought about his uncle, fairly certain that he'd be enjoying his newspaper about this time of night. He opened his eyes and looked at the house again. Though he'd only been gone a few months this time, it seemed like a lifetime. Taking another deep breath, he forced his feet to take a few more steps. He was home, this time for good.
Reminding himself again that the occupants of the house weren't expecting him, he softly tapped on the door. He didn't want to alarm them as the evening was getting late.
Assuming that it was Cooter or Enos stopping by to check on them, Jesse put his paper down and went to the door. Luke may have been the Marine, but Jesse was the one who experienced shell shock.
"Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked, opening the door and stepping inside, concerned by the look on his uncle's face.
"Luke, you're alive," Jesse finally said, opening his arms to his oldest. Luke stepped into them, hissing slightly at the still tender injury as his uncle crushed him. "What's the matter? Luke, what happened? Are you ok?"
"Yes, Uncle Jesse. I'm fine."
Worried now about Luke, he led him into the living room. Before either of them could say anything else, the door to his room opened and Daisy stepped out. "Luke," she whispered, not believing her own eyes. He gave her a smile, and she ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Luke, you're not dead!" His uncle didn't miss the additional hiss of pain as Daisy threw herself at him, but she was so overwhelmed, she did.
"No, I ain't dead. Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Well Luke, they sent us a letter, the government. Said you were missing in action and presumed dead."
"What?" Luke asked, now regretting his decision not to call his family sooner to let them know he was okay. "I can't believe it. Well yeah, I guess I can. I was technically missing for a little while. I was taken in by a family in a village, and I guess they didn't know that, but they should have let you know after they found me."
"Are you ok, Luke?" Uncle Jesse asked again, knowing that they weren't just gonna let him come home if there wasn't a little more to the story than he'd just told them.
"Yeah. I got shot, in the shoulder, but it's almost completely healed. It's fine," Luke said.
"How long do you get to stay this time?" Daisy asked, still clinging to her older cousin.
"I'm out, medically discharged. The tendon is damaged, but the doctors don't think it'll give me any problems. Anyway, they don't want me back cause of it. I'm home for good."
"Praise the Lord," Uncle Jesse said, giving thanks that at least one of his boys was home safe and sound. Now he hoped that Luke's return would help Bo.
"Where's Bo?" Luke asked, not missing the look that shot between Daisy and Jesse as soon as he inquired. "What's going on? Oh no, did he think I was dead, too?"
"No," Uncle Jesse replied. "He never did believe it. He said he knew you was alive. Guess we should have listened to him."
Luke nodded, watching the members of his family very closely. "Okay, so where is he?"
"He's in your room," Uncle Jesse informed him.
"Well, if he won't come out and see me, guess I'll go in and see him," Luke announced.
"Ah Luke, wait a minute," Jesse said, stopping him before he got two steps.
"All right! What is going on?" Luke asked, more than a little annoyed.
"Bo's sick," Jesse stated, wondering just how he was going to tell him the rest.
"What? He's got the flu again?" When Jesse shook his head, he continued. "Something with his lung or his asthma?" Again, Jesse shook his head. "Then what?" Luke said, raising his voice.
"Luke, sit down a minute," Jesse instructed him.
He did as he was told, feeling like a thousand pounds had been dropped on his shoulders. Something told him he was about to find out exactly what had been causing his sense of imminent doom, and now he knew it had something to do with Bo.
"I'll leave you two alone," Daisy whispered, slipping back into the boys' room. She hadn't meant to leave Bo alone for so long, and she wasn't sure if she could handle Luke's reaction right then. If he fell apart, she had to remain strong, for both Bo and Luke.
"Uncle Jesse, please. Tell me what's going on and just what's wrong with Bo!" Luke said, half demanding, half begging.
