A/N: Hi! Thanks for the reviews and all the support.
Special thanks to TS Blue for her help on this chapter and the next. I struggled with a few things in here, not really sure what was bothering me. She has a wonderful way of being able to tell me what I was thinking:)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.
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BLOOD BROTHERS
CHAPTER 18
ARE YOU SURE?
For the next two weeks, Bo's blood was monitored as if it were gold in Fort Knox. Everyday when they drew it, the Dukes prayed that the results would be good because everyday that it was meant that they were all one day closer to home.
Bo was becoming an expert at Minnesota plant life, having been cooped up for so long inside. Though he preferred Hazzard, the great outdoors was better than the great indoors, anywhere. They had the routine down pat: doctor's visits and tests were always in the early morning, followed by a lull that included lunch, then more of the same in the late afternoon. Their evenings were relatively free, and that's when they took Bo out, often bringing dinner from the diner for his enjoyment. He liked it better, so he ate more of it, and Daisy swore that he had gained a little weight. Though not much, the scales confirmed that she was right.
Bo still needed frequent naps; being tired was a drawback to have having a blood disorder. He tried to send his family away, saying that they didn't need to sit there and watch him sleep, but someone was always with him when he drifted off and when he opened his eyes. In between, the boys went back to planning the final stages of their car.
A few days before Bo was going to find out whether or not he really could leave the great state of Minnesota, a doctor they'd never met knocked on the door. He was glancing over Bo's chart as he stepped in the room.
"Good morning, Mr. Duke. My name is Doctor Rashib. I am a colleague of Dr. Frenzi's and he asked me to check on you today. How are you feeling?"
"Fine doc," Bo replied.
"Good," he replied, continuing to familiarize himself with something he should have read before he came in. "Well, we got the results back of the tests from the blood we took earlier and everything seems to be going along fine."
Everyone smiled, thankful for another day of good news.
"I must say, you have most remarkable case, Mr. Duke. You're blood is so rare that it's almost miracle that you found a match. Out of all siblings in family, normally only one gets such rare blood. You are very fortunate that your brother and you defied the odds."
Bo and Luke looked at each other and grinned. "Ah, well we're fortunate all right, and Luke and I grew up like brothers, but...,"
"Technically, we're cousins, doc," Luke finished for him. "Or at least we were, but I guess now that Bo's got my blood, it makes it official."
"We're blood brothers," they both said in unison.
Dr. Rashib nodded his head, turning back to the chart and flipping through papers at a high rate of speed. Upon finding the one he wanted, he stopped to read it.
Worried that he was concerned over something in Bo's lab work, Luke looked to his uncle. Turning back to the still silent hematologist, he asked, "is there something wrong, doc?"
"It is probably mistake," the doctor said.
"What mistake?" Luke probed.
"Well, something here is not quite right."
"Yeah, we figured that out already. So why don't you tell us what's wrong?" Luke asked, making himself the spokesperson for the family. He just didn't know if he could survive another detrimental setback concerning Bo's health.
Sitting down on the empty bed, the man in the white coat crossed his leg, all the while scanning the files. Grabbing the pen out of his pocket, he finally looked at Bo.
"Bo, your chart says here that your parents were Hannah and Robert Duke?"
"Yeah," Bo said, turning to look at his uncle. "They both died when I was real young, so I don't remember them."
"Well, it says here that your mother had B type blood and your father AB blood type. Do you know where you got that information?"
"From my uncle, who me and Luke live with," Bo said.
"Yeah, that's right. I had to write down all that kind of information when I got the kids, in case we needed it some day. I don't know about Bo's mama off the top of my head, but I remember my brother Bob always had to be careful since they told him that his blood type wasn't common and they didn't always have it on hand.."
"And Lucas K. Duke is your brother's other child, yes?"
"Well yeah, but different brother."
"Yes, it says here that your parents were Emma and Louis Duke?" Dr. Rashib asked, turning to Luke.
"Yeah," Luke answered. "They died when I was four, that's when I went to live with Uncle Jesse."
"Well, see this must be the mistake then because it says that your mother's blood type is A, and your father's was O."
It was now Luke's turn to look at his uncle. "Doc, that sounds about right. What's the mistake?"
"Well Luke, you have AB blood type just like Bo."
"Yeah, I know, but his is even more rare than mine."
"Yes, Bo has a few characteristics that are even more uncommon than normal."
"So, what's the mistake?" Luke asked, again.
"Luke, A and O blood types cannot make AB type. Only AB type can make AB type. Other not possible. This has to be error on here."
"Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked.
"Emma's type I got from Doc Appleby, so it should be right, and well, I don't think Lou had a rare blood type. He cut himself one time real bad out in the fields when we was young-ins, and they had to give him some blood. I remember the doctor saying that it was a good thing that he had the universal type. Does that make any sense?" the Duke patriarch inquired.
"Yes, they call 'O' type the universal, so if your brother Louis was 'O' type, than he cannot be your father, if your mother's type is right. It just not possible."
"Now wait just a minute, doc!" Luke said, getting to his feet. "Just what are you accusing my mother of?"
"I'm not accusing anyone of anything, Luke. I'm just saying that unless your mother's blood type is wrong, the two people listed here as your parents cannot be. One of them has to be AB type for you to be AB type, and since Bo's father and Bo are AB and in same family, and it is uncommon type of blood, it just made sense. But, there's also some other commanalities that you and Bo share in the blood that would be highly unlikely unless it was in one family."
"Uncle Jesse, do something," Bo begged, hating to see Luke looking so distraught.
"What do you want me to do, Bo?"
"Tell the good doctor that this isn't true," Bo instructed.
"I ain't no expert in blood types, Bo. How do you expect me to do that?"
"Bo, Luke, I am sorry. I didn't know that you were unaware of this, but what I have here indicates that you share same father." The room became eerily quiet. "If you would like to know, and you really should know since Luke, you are now marrow donor for Bo, there is new test that can narrow down further. Basically, it tell you if you are brothers or not to a certain degree. If you want to know, I can order it."
Bo was looking at Luke when Luke's head suddenly popped up and looked at him. "Yeah, I want to know," Luke whispered.
"Luke, you don't have to do this," Bo told him.
"Yeah, Bo, I do. Your parents aren't in question, mine are. I have to know. Besides, he's right, it's probably a good idea to know this in case you ever need more of my blood or marrow." Turning to the doctor, he told him to order the test.
Dr. Rashib announced that he would send a technician right up to draw samples from each of the boys. They'd have the results back about the same time they'd be able to let Bo know whether he could go home.
The room's silence returned after he left. Luke was in shock, as was Bo, but Bo's came with a guilt. If he hadn't gotten sick, this would have never come out.
"Uncle Jesse," Luke finally whispered. "Do you think there could be any truth to this?"
The senior citizen drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair, taking a trip in his mind to almost a quarter century ago. He could see his beloved wife sitting next to them, at their kitchen table, as if it were presently taking place.
"Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked, not getting the reaction that he'd anticipated.
The old man opened his eyes to find three sets honed in on him. "Mind you son, I don't know for sure, but I suppose that it might be possible."
The technician interrupted them before Jesse could explain. While she drew blood from each of the boys, Bo was desperately trying to get his cousin, possible real brother, to look at him. The longer Luke avoided him, the more fearful Bo became. When he left, Luke asked their uncle to go on and explain just why he thought it might be true.
"Well Luke, your mama, she went with Bo's daddy for a spell. They seemed real happy, too, and we alls thought they was gonna marry up. Bob knew she was real serious and wanted to, but he didn't think he was ready. He wanted to make sure, thought that if it was right, it'd keep, so he went and joined the army. He got shipped over to Korea, and he wasn't gone long before Lou and Emma announced that they were getting married. We didn't even know they was courting, so we were all kind of surprised. I knew that Louis loved her, even while she was with Bob, but he never said anything. We kind of figured she was just getting back at Bob by marrying his brother. Anyway, it worked out okay cause it didn't take long to see that they were good for each other, and I know she learned to love Lou in time. When Bob can back from the war, he met Hannah right away, and they got married shortly thereafter. They all became good friends, so we didn't think nothing bout it, saying that it all worked out the way it was supposed to be."
"What about me?" Luke asked.
"Well, that was the one thing we, rather your Aunt Lavinia, always did wonder bout. She said it seemed that Emma was with child awfully fast, but we couldn't prove it. The time frame wasn't exactly right, I admit, but she told everyone you were just a little early. You were a big baby for being early, though, but once Jud was born, well, you two looked so much alike that it just ended those suspicions. And Lou couldn't have loved you more, so we figured that there just wasn't nothing to it."
Luke couldn't believe it. The man he'd mourned for his entire life might not have been his real father after all. Unable to breathe, he made a bee-line for the door.
"Oh God," Bo cried out, jumping off the bed in response to Luke's hasty exit.
"Bo! Bo, what are you doing?" Daisy asked, concerned at Bo's sudden movement.
"I'm going after Luke," he said, running out the door, grateful for once that he was covered with pajamas. "Luke! Luke!" he called, ignoring Daisy and Jesse's pleas to stop, and concentrating on a person he really didn't know what to call anymore.
"Bo, come back here," Jesse called after him, but despite how sick he'd been, Bo was already out the door. They'd no sooner stepped out of the room, trying to find their patient, when they heard a loud crash. Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw Bo lying on the floor.
Rushing up to him, they could see him holding his right forearm. A couple of nurses were already trying to tend to him. "Mr. Duke, what happened?"
"I tripped," he said.
"Well, what in the world did you think you were doing?" the older nurse asked.
"Going after Luke," Bo said, as a couple of tears slipped down his cheek.
"Bo, you just take it easy," Jesse told him as he saw Daisy turn away. There was already a large puddle of blood on the floor, and it was growing steadily.
"Call for an orderly," one of the nurses ordered.
"What's going on?" the old man asked, as two orderlies appeared with a gurney. Picking up Bo, they hoisted him on it, as they wheeled him toward the elevator with one of the nurses trying to keep pressure on his arm. "Where are they taking my nephew?"
"We're going to take him down to ER. They can stitch this up faster down there than anywhere else in the hospital. We need to get it closed up as quickly as possible because he's loosing blood too fast. You can ride down with us," she said, as the elevator doors opened.
"Bo, you just hang on. You're gonna be ok," Jesse said, noticing that Bo was slipping away.
"Uncle Jesse, find Luke...Tell him I'm sorry."
Wanting to keep him awake and talking, and truly not understanding what he was talking about, he decided to use that avenue. "Sorry for what? You didn't do anything Bo?"
"It's my fault...I already put ya'll through...so much...If I hadn't got...sick, Luke would...have never found...out about his...dad. Tell him...I'm sorry...and that...I love him," he slurred before his eyes rolled back.
"Bo, you tell him yourself," Jesse screamed, as they whisked Bo into the ER, telling him and Daisy to wait outside.
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Luke had been in this situation before: running through the hospital and through the park in order to escape something that he just wasn't prepared to handle. Last time, he'd ended up on the steps of a church, in the midst of an unexpected storm, screaming at God about taking Bo away from him. This time it was from just being told that the man he'd thought was his father all these years, probably wasn't, and it sounded like his aunt and uncle suspected something. He told himself he was angry. He knew he should be, but he wasn't, and that confused him. It wasn't even close to how angry Luke could become, nor did it resemble the pure rage he had felt on that first night he'd ran out. Lacking that anger, he no longer felt the need to run. Luke didn't even know why he had started in the first place. It was just a habit, a way of dealing, or rather not dealing with issues he couldn't. It wasn't any different than his refusal to talk to Bo about a subject that he hadn't wanted to think about. Both actions were a form of avoidance, one was just more physical.
Stopping, he found himself at the picnic table his family had dubbed as theirs, and thought it ironic that he'd ended up there. Maybe he'd been led to it because it only had happy memories associated with it, all centering around Bo's recovery.
Luke sat down, trying to come to terms with what he'd just learned. He knew how he should feel, but something inside him didn't seem to be working properly. Before he could ponder the dilemma deeper, a ball came rolling up to his feet, momentarily giving his mind a break. Picking it up, he discovered a young boy, about four or five standing in front of him. The child held up his hands for his toy, and Luke had to grin at his blonde hair, blue eyes, and chubby little arms. It reminded him of someone else he knew that looked like that at that age. "Here you go," he said, handing him the ball. With a wide grin, the boy thanked him, then trotted off to his waiting mother.
Luke shrugged, once again trying to make sense out of something that didn't.
At least he knew who his mother was. Well, in fact, he knew his father, too; it just wasn't the father he'd thought had been his. He remembered his Uncle Robert. He had liked him, very much. He especially remembered how happy he was when he and his Aunt Hannah found out that they were expecting Bo. Luke had already been living at the farm for a while. Daisy hadn't been there long. The blonde man, that looked so much like Bo, came bursting in the door, announcing that he was going to be a dad. Lavinia and Jesse congratulated him, and Luke remembered wishing that he'd been that unborn baby that everyone was so happy to learn was on its way. He and Daisy had been certain that it would be the most loved child in the whole world, and it had made them both sad that their parents weren't there to make them feel that special. They loved their aunt and uncle, and knew that their guardians returned that love, but it just wasn't the same thing, at least not then.
Staying along those lines, remembering how happy Robert Duke had been about the news, Luke doubted he ever once thought his brother's child might really be his own. Though he'd always been nice to him, he didn't treat him any differently than he had Daisy or any of the other cousins. To him, Luke was a nephew. He never looked at him in a special way, as if he knew, never called him son, and he didn't seem like a man that would dismiss his own child, regardless of the circumstances. Luke doubted that his Uncle Bob ever really even thought about it. He was fighting in a war when he'd been born, and Luke could relate to that. He, himself, had been with a few girls before he left for a different war. When he returned, many of them were married and had kids, and he never once considered the possibility that they were his.
Then there was his Aunt Lavinia and Uncle Jesse, the people that he really thought of as surrogate parents. Maybe they did suspect, but what were they really supposed to do about it? They couldn't very well take action on a hunch. Luke certainly didn't look like Robert or Hannah. He looked like his own mom and the man he thought of as his dad. They were both dark, unlike Bo's parents, who were both fair and blonde. So, what were they supposed to do without any real proof? Yet, Luke knew Jesse well enough to know that if he believed he was Robert's boy, when Louis and his mom had been killed, he probably would have said something. Luke couldn't see Jesse taking him in if he believed that his brother was his rightful father. Regardless of the consequences that may have followed, he would have said something. So Luke dismissed the idea of blaming his uncle for this, even if it was a possible error in judgement.
The brunette looked back at the boy who was still playing with the ball, reminding himself of something else, perhaps the most important fact of all. His parents were gone, regardless of which one turned out to be his dad. For all purposes, Louis Duke was his father, the one he remembered, the one who cared for him, the one who loved him. As he'd always told Bo, blood wasn't the only thing that determined things like that. So, his memories were still real, and if he discovered for sure that Robert Duke was his biological dad, well, what did it change? His name would still be the same, and it wouldn't bring any of them back. They were gone, but he still had the only real family he'd ever known not far away. He couldn't change the past. The present and the future were all he really had; a lesson he'd learned over the last several months.
Sighing, he got up. He couldn't believe how much he'd changed. A year ago, this would have been a major crisis in his life. Compared to almost losing Bo, it just didn't seem that important. Luke knew that in the days and weeks to follow, he'd have to address this issue again, if he ever wanted true peace; resolution and closure might not ever be possible. However, he vowed that it wasn't going to consume him. What was really important was the family that he had, and the additional time that they'd been granted. That was the only thing he was thinking as he walked in the front entrance of the hospital. Now, he needed to share those views with Bo and the rest of his family.
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Jesse and Daisy hadn't been sitting in the waiting room long before the nurse who'd brought Bo down came out. They jumped to their feet. "How's Bo?"
"Mr. Duke, where is Luke?" she asked, ignoring his question.
"I don't know. He was upset by that news that the doctor gave him this morning. He took off, that's why Bo was following him.
"Well find him, fast. They haven't been able to stop the bleeding, yet, and Bo's already lost a tremendous amount of blood. We don't have enough on hand of Luke's, and we can't take the chance yet of giving him anyone else's. We need Luke in here to donate blood, stat!"
"I'll go, Uncle Jesse," Daisy said, thinking that she could move a little faster than her aging uncle.
"You find him, Daisy. Quick!" he said.
She promised she would, and Jesse hoped she was right. He'd been patient and understanding, taking his nephew's anger while he dealt with Bo's disease. This time, though, he was angry with the boy, and he didn't care if he was a Marine. He had half a mind to take him out back of the hospital and whoop him when he got done providing his donation. Bo wasn't completely recovered, yet, and Luke had to know that his taking off like that would upset him. This time, Luke had gone too far, and Jesse hoped that after everything else, Bo didn't end up dying over something he'd had no part of and that had happened over twenty years ago.
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Luke climbed off the elevator at Bo's floor, conscious of all the strange looks he was getting. He wondered what had caused them, then pushed them out of his mind as he opened the door to Bo's room. For a minute, he just stared. Jesse and Daisy were no where to be found. The bed was made up, and it was empty. The room looked like it was waiting to receive a new patient.
"Bo!"
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A/N 2 - Hi! I couldn't put this at the beginning without giving it away:) Surprised?
Without getting too overly technical, obviously paternity testing using DNA wasn't available in 1973. There wasn't a test that could be 100 positive back then, and blood typing was used an an indicator. The types that make AB is correct. There are also certain characteristics that can only be passed from father to son, just like most men really receive their baldness from their mothers! (Mine's is trouble!) Those are what's being referenced, and why it was written without concentrating on Luke's mom. So, it wasn't an oversight, though I didn't think the specifics were that interesting.
Also, Luke's reaction may seem a little out of the ordinary. It's supposed to be.
Okay, let's see a show of hands. How many knew this was coming? I hope not everyone did, because I really did have a lot of fun writing most of it. The part that wasn't fun, TS cleared up quickly.
