Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
The next morning, Luke woke up to voices outside his window. He got up and opened his window. Cooter was talking to Uncle Jesse. It was obvious that he had gotten word. "Come on, Uncle Jesse. You don't even have to say anything, just nod if Bo's back." Luke smiled and went to check on Bo. He'll let Jesse have his fun. Placing a hand on Bo's forehead, he checked for a temperature. Bo was still a little warm but it didn't feel any worse.
"Uncle Jesse, are you trying to drive me crazy!" Luke wanted to smack himself when Bo was shocked awake by Cooter's voice. Should've shut that guy up first. He waited for Bo to focus on him.
"How are you feeling?" Luke asked when Bo finally looked awake enough to talk.
"So.." He choked on the word due to his dry throat.
"Here." Luke helped Bo to take a drink of water.
"Thanks." Leaning back, Bo closed his eyes, wincing at the pain his ribs were causing.
"Ribs bothering you?" Luke asked.
"Yeah."
"You should get it x-rayed. Why don't I take you down to the hospital?" Luke worried that the bones may not be setting right.
"I don't want to go to the hospital. It's not so bad." Bo groaned.
"Bo, if your bones are healing wrong, you're going to need surgery to get it fixed." Bo looked at Luke and saw how worried he was for him.
"Okay." Bo conceded, "but only an x-ray. I don't want them checking me all over and making me stay there."
Luke nodded, "Unless there is a problem with your ribs, we won't stay there any longer than we have to."
"Promise." Bo was determined not to stay at the hospital.
Luke laughed and nodded, "Promise."
Bo was happy now. "Was that Cooter I heard?" Luke almost forgot about Cooter. He got up and looked outside, laughing when he saw Cooter following Jesse everywhere.
"Hey Cooter! Quit bothering Uncle Jesse and get in here!" Luke called. Bo smiled when he heard the side door open and Cooter barged into the room. He stood there, frozen. Not believing what he was seeing. Bo pushed himself off the pillows.
"Hi Cooter." Bo greeted.
Cooter shook his head. "How many times do you plan to come back from the dead?" He walked over and sat on the bed, pulling Bo into a hug.
"Sorry to scare you."
"Gently, Cooter. He's sore." Luke warned.
Cooter pulled back and looked Bo up and down. He looked worn out and pale, but he really was alive. "We were so close to having another wake for you. I swear this family has way too many wakes for the living."
Bo tried to stop himself from laughing but he couldn't help it. "Ow! Cooter, no jokes for a while, please."
"Sorry, how bad is it?" Cooter asked.
"Broken ribs, messed up feet, cuts and bruises. His usual." Luke gave a cheeky smile.
"Cute." Bo glared at him.
"I'm going to go wash up and then I'll take you to the hospital. Cooter, you mind sticking around and helping me get Bo in and out of the car. We can't let his feet touch the ground."
"No problem. I didn't plan on opening the garage today anyway. People are still rebuilding their farms. No one's bringing their cars around until later."
"How bad is it?" Bo asked of the town.
"Well, the town centre didn't really get hit, just a lot of cleaning up to do." Cooter answered.
"Most of the farms are fine except for the Thompkin's and the Jenson's. Their properties are pretty much gone, but the whole of Hazzard is helping them rebuild, so they'll be fine." Luke told him.
"We should help out as well." Bo said.
"We will once you're on your feet again." Luke knew it sounded a selfish, but Bo came before anyone else. Bo nodded, he understood because if the roles were reversed, he would feel the same way. Luke pat him on the leg, "Give me ten minutes and we'll head over to the hospital."
Dr Floyd at the hospital told them that Bo's ribs were healing fine. They didn't break completely, so they've stayed in place. He did want Bo to stay so that he could check him over after hearing what Bo had been through, but Bo refused. He looked at Luke, from his position on the bed in the room. "You promised."
Luke sighed and rolled his eyes, "Look, Dr Floyd. Do you see anything wrong with Bo that does require him to stay?"
"Well no, but that could change after a few tests." Dr Floyd answered.
"Do you know Doc Appleby?" Luke asked.
Dr Floyd nodded, "Yes, he's a very good doctor."
"He's our family doctor and he came to take care of Bo's injuries last night and he's coming back this evening. We'll come back if Doc Appleby says he has to, but for now, I'm taking Bo home." Luke told him in a way that wouldn't insult the doctor.
"Okay, he seems okay. Just make sure he rests and keeps hydrated. Keep an eye on his temperature. He's still a little warm." Dr Floyd surrendered. Bo grinned. Luke and Cooter shook their head, helping him up.
"Did something traumatic happen to Bo at the hospital, Luke? I swear, it ain't natural for someone to hate a place so badly." Cooter asked as they carried Bo out to the car.
"I don't know, maybe the doctor dropped him when he was born." Luke answered, cheekily. "Could explain a lot."
"Cute." Bo glared.
They returned to farm and Luke was feeling better now that he knew Bo's ribs weren't causing any problems. Cooter and Luke carried Bo into his room and laid him on the bed. "Well, I'm off for today." Cooter said once Bo was settled. "Promised to help out at the Thompkin's today."
"Thanks, Cooter." Bo held out his hand.
Cooter shook it, "Any time. Welcome back, Bo."
"I'll walk you out, Cooter. I'll come back with some broth for you." Luke told Bo. They walked out together, "Hey, Cooter. Do me a favour and don't tell anyone about Bo yet. He needs his rest. I don't want everyone coming around to wish him well."
Cooter nodded, "Don't worry. Doc Appleby told me the same thing when he let it slip that Bo was back." Luke walked him out the door before filling a bowl with soup.
When Luke came back with a bowl of broth, Bo was sleeping. Luke tossed between waking him and letting him sleep. He decided that Bo needed some nourishment. Setting the bowl down, he shook Bo's shoulder. "Hey, Bo. Wake up and have some soup."
Bo rubbed his eyes, "Sorry, didn't know I fell asleep."
"Your body's still trying to catch up. Have some soup and then you can go back to sleep." Bo pushed himself up while Luke set a tray table and the soup in front of him.
"Mmmm...this is good."
Luke smiled, it was good to see Bo eating and enjoying the food. "Take it easy and let your stomach get use to it. I don't want you throwing it back up."
"Yes, Sir!" Bo giggled and then stopped when his ribs reminded him not to laugh. Bo finished the soup and Luke took it away. When Luke left the room. Bo closed his eyes. "Thank you God, for answering my prayer. Thank you for protecting my family." Bo opened his eyes. Luke was standing at the door, looking at him. Bo looked down at his hands, a little embarrassed.
"What was that about?" Luke asked him, leaning on the door frame.
Bo shrugged, "Nothing." Luke raised his eyebrows at him. Bo sighed, "When I couldn't get in touch with you, I started praying. I asked God to keep y'all safe. I told Him that He could do whatever He wanted with me, as long as He kept y'all safe and He did. They farm was barely touched by the hurricane."
Luke smiled, of course Bo would pray for them and of course he would offer himself up in exchange for their lives. It was something Luke would do. Luke sat down next to Bo. "Next time, just ask Him to keep everyone safe, including you."
Bo smiled, "I think he did. I was lucky to come out of that hurricane alive."
Luke agreed, "Not to mention Jared found you."
Bo looked at him in surprise. "How'd you know about Jared?"
Luke laughed, "You were delirious when you got back. You wouldn't shut up. Jared is not the only thing I know about. I know that he gave you jerky and water and that you ran into looters." Luke's face hardened at that part. "I don't know how, but I'm gonna get those guys. Do you remember anything about them?"
Bo shook his head, "Just that they were driving a pick-up and one guy was really big and fast." Bo rubbed his shoulder as he thought about the pain the big boy caused when he twisted Bo's arm around his back.
"How is that shoulder? I don't think Doc Appleby took a look at it. I'll have to remember to tell him to take a look at it this afternoon." Luke reminded himself.
"It ain't too bad. Just aching a little." Bo told him.
"Have a rest. I'll wake you when the doctor comes in." Bo nodded and made himself comfortable, falling asleep, almost, immediately.
Luke came back two hours later to check on Bo. He frowned as he felt Bo's forehead. "Feels warmer." Luke went out to grab a bowl of water and towel. He dabbed the cloth around Bo's neck and face and then wringing in out again, he placed the towel on his forehead. Bo stirred a little but didn't wake up.
"How is he?" Jesse whispered as he popped his head in the door.
"Temperature's a little high. I'll keep an eye on him." Luke assured.
"I know you will." Jesse popped back out and Luke turned back to his cousin.
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Luke asked his cousin who was oblivious to the question.
When the Doctor came back that afternoon, Bo's temperature had risen again. "One hundred and two point two." He announced, "High enough to make me worry. He doesn't need a fever to dehydrate him any more. I'm going to have to give him that IV after all." Luke watched as the Doc set up the IV. "Try to keep him cool, and get him to the hospital if he gets any worse. There's not much more I can do."
Luke nodded, then remembered, "Can you check his shoulder before you go. He dislocated it." He opened up Bo's shirt and pulled it off his right shoulder. Bo flinched when the doctor gave his shoulder a squeeze but didn't wake up.
"Have you noticed if he's been having trouble moving it?" The Doc asked as he extended it out to his side.
"No, but he has been rubbing it. He said it just aches." Luke told him.
"It seems fine to me. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it causes him problems." The doctor said. Luke pulled Bo's shirt back up as the doctor left them.
Bo's fever stayed at one hundred and two for the rest of the day. Tossing and turning the whole time, not quite getting the rest he needed. "Come on, Bo. You need to kick this fever." Luke said as he took off the warm cloth and replaced it with a cool one.
"No!" Bo jerked his head to the side, giving Luke a shock.
Luke place a hand on Bo's face, "Bo, I'm here, it's okay." Bo continued jerking, his hands pushing at the covers and his legs kicking at them. Luke grabbed his arms and held them to his chest.
"No! Let me go!" Bo kept fighting to get free. "Let me go! I have to get home!"
"Bo, you are home." Luke said gently.
Randall had Bo on the ground, on his stomach, his arm twisted behind his back. "Let me go! Please. Take whatever you want., noone has to get hurt." Rick got out of the truck.
"Oh, but I like it when someone gets hurt." Rick reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, opening it up. "Ooh, looks like a nice family you got here. Who's the pretty girl, might pay her a visit." Rick threatened.
"You stay away from her, you sick jackass!" Bo yelled. He hissed when Rick pulled his head up by the hair.
"I do whatever I want. Get him up. I need some boxing practice." Randall pulled Bo up by the arm, causing him to scream at the pain in his shoulder. Bo struggled hard with the man holding him.
"Let me go!"
Luke found it harder to hold Bo down as he struggled further. "Let me go!" Bo yelled, and with more strength than he should've had, Bo pulled his arms free and pushed off the bed, sending both him and Luke, as well as the quilt to the ground and pulling out his IV. "Aaaah!" Bo cried out as he felt his ribs crack as he landed on top of Luke.
Rick kept punching him in the stomach as Randall locked his arms behind him. Bo felt himself losing consciousness. "Please, have to get home."
"I need to get home." Bo pushed himself off Luke and tried to get to his feet, but the pain in his feet just caused him to fall again. It was fortunate that Jesse had heard all the rumbling and charged into the room.
"What..." Jesse was shocked by the scene before him. Luke was on the floor, untangling himself from the quilts, and Bo was on his feet, but not for long. Jesse threw himself forward to catch him before he fell back onto his face. Luke finally managed to get up and help Jesse lower Bo to the ground, who was still struggling to get away from them. "Luke, you want to tell me what's happening?" Jesse grunted.
"He's having a nightmare." Luke answered, "Bo!" He tapped Bo hard on the face. "Wake up! It's not real. You're home!"
"Let me go. Luke's waiting for me." Bo begged his tormentors.
"Let him go. I've had my fun." Randall dropped Bo to the ground. Bo heard the looters drive away. He waited until he knew they were gone before trying to get up, but the pain was too much for him to handle. His visions darkened, passing out on the dirt road.
Luke watched as Bo's eyes rolled back and passed out. "Bo?" Luke tapped his face again. "Bo! Dang it! That's it, he's going to the hospital!"
"You think?" Jesse grumbled. "I'm going to get changed." Luke nodded and moved over to take Bo's weight. He could hear Jesse explaining to Daisy what was happening.
"Bo, we're losing a lot of years worrying on you." Luke mumbled as he held Bo tighter. "I should've taken you to the hospital when you first got home."
Bo woke up in the hospital. Luke got up from his seat when he saw that Bo was stirring. They've been waiting for two hours for Bo to regain consciousness. "How are you feeling?" Luke asked. Bo turned his head towards him, frowning.
"Where am I?" Bo asked groggily, not fully awake. "What happened?" Closing his eyes he tried to remember how we got here. Images from the nightmare started coming back to him. "Have to get home." Bo's eyes flew open. "I have to get home!" Luke grabbed him by the shoulders before he could get up.
"Bo, you've been home for two days now." Luke reminded him. "Look, Uncle Jesse and Daisy are here." Jesse and Daisy stepped up to his view, but Bo didn't seem like he was focusing on anyone. "Bo!" Luke called loudly. He hated seeing his cousin like this, so confused and unsure.
"Why won't they let me go? I just want to go home." Bo's tears fell and Luke couldn't bare the pain of seeing his cousin so lost. Taking a deep breath Luke gently put a hand to Bo's cheeks.
"You're home, Bo. You made it home." Bo started shaking his head, but Luke put his other hand to the other side of Bo's head and held him still. "Look at me, Bo. Do you know who I am?" He waited for Bo to take a good look at him. It took painstakingly long for Bo to register who was talking to him.
"Luke?" He said, finally, bringing his hand up to Luke's. "I really did make it." Luke nodded and Bo pulled him down, hugging him as tight as his weak body would let him. "They wouldn't let me go. They said they were gonna hurt Daisy, he..." Bo trailed off, frowning, he couldn't work out if what he was saying was real or not. "Luke, what's going on?"
Luke pulled back. "Your fever got really high, giving you nightmares. You started fighting us and did more damage to your ribs. Dr Floyd said your fever was 104.5 when you got here."
"I don't remember doing that. I was fighting those looters. I thought I was..." Bo looked at his uncle and Daisy on the other side. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No, you didn't hurt anyone, but yourself." Jesse brushed aside Bo's hair, "That was quite a nightmare you had."
Bo frowned, "It was so real. I felt the pain in my ribs and shoulder." Bo closed his eyes. He was getting a headache.
"That's probably because the pain was real." Luke told him. "You rolled off the bed and landed on your front. I could feel your ribs move." Luke waited until Bo seemed to have finally got his bearings. "Did those looters really do all that? Did they threaten Daisy?" Bo looked at him with tired eyes, "Because if they did, there is nowhere in the world where they can hide. I'll find them." Bo shook his head when he saw how angry Luke was.
"No," Bo swallowed, "No, it weren't that bad. They roughed me up a little when they found out I didn't have anything worth taking. They didn't see the photo in my wallet. It didn't happen, just a nightmare." Bo was too tired and sore to say any more. Luke nodded, glad that it was just a nightmare, but he was still angry at what the looters did. Dr Floyd came in then. Luke turned around to him.
"You're awake. That's good. How are you feeling?"
"Tired and sore."
"That's to be expected. You're fever is draining your energy. It's amazing what your mind can do. It pretty much kept your body going throughout your ordeal, but once you reached your goal, your body was finally allowed to react to everything that was happening to it. The fever was the result of it. As for your ribs, you got lucky. I was able to set it without having to do any surgery. Just try not to do any more damage to it while you're still recovering."
Bo frowned at the Doctor as he babbled on about his injuries. "Sorry, Doc, but I don't think I even got half of what you just said."
"It's okay, Bo. We'll explain it to you when you're more awake." Luke put a hand on his head. "Go back to sleep. You're exhausted."
"When can I go home?" Bo mumbled as his eyes started drifting close. Luke smiled and turned back to the doctor.
"So when can he go home?" Luke asked.
"Once his fever is gone. I don't want to discharge him until it's completely gone." Dr Floyd answered. "I'll come back to check on him in the morning." He left the room.
"You better go home and get some sleep, Daisy. You have an early shift tomorrow. I'll stay here with Bo." Luke said.
Daisy sat on the edge of Bo's bed, leaning over she kissed him on the cheek, keeping her hand there as she spoke. "I'm not sure I can take much more of this, Bo." Bo turned his head towards her, bringing up his hand to hers, he opened his eyes and smiled.
"I'm okay. Just tired." Bo assured her. "I promise you can hover over me for as long as you want when I get home."
Daisy laughed, wiping away her tears, "I'll hold you to that. I love you, Bo."
"I love you too." Bo fell back asleep.
"We'll see you in the morning, Luke." Jesse said as he led Daisy out the door. Luke sat back down on the chair next to the bed.
"Daisy's right, you know. You're going to drive us crazy." Luke said to his sleeping cousin. "Let's hope you can get some rest now that you're at the hospital. I swear, sometimes I let your dislike of the hospitals cloud my judgement. I should've brought you here in the first place." Luke looked up at his cousin and was shocked when he found Bo awake. He sighed, "Bo, what's going on? You should be so tired that not even a tank going through the room can wake you up." Looking into Bo's eyes as he spoke, he finally realised what was happening. Luke got up and sat back on the bed. "This isn't a dream. You really are home. I really am here and I'm still going to be here when you wake up. I promise."
"You won't leave?" Bo asked, still unsure of everything that was happening.
"I won't leave. I've never broken my promise to you and I never will. Now, go back to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." Luke smiled as Bo started drifting back to sleep. Luke watched over him for the rest of the night, and to his relief, Bo didn't wake up, not even when the nurse came in to take out his IV. Bo was finally getting the rest he needed and Luke could finally relax.