Chapter 4

Bo read and reread the letter. He didn't know what anyone could be so heartless. She just didn't care about the baby at all. Bo balled the letter up and chucked it in the garbage.

He went down to the NICU and looked through the glass at the only thing he had left in this world. A dying baby… Bo watched as the nurses went into the room and were changing the babies' cribs. There were two other babies beside his, but they were all getting better.

His baby was the only one dying. When it came time to change his baby's crib, one nurse looked at Bo and then to the other nurse. She said something to her and both looked back at him. The other one surged her shoulders and then said something. Then one of them walked towards the door closest to him. She stuck her head out the door.

"Mr. Duke?"

Bo looked at her

"Yes?"

She smiled at him. She stepped out of the room and walked up to him.

"Me and some of the other nurse's have notice how devoted you are to your little girl and well… Mr. Duke… She's pretty stable there now. Would you like to hold her while we change her crib?"

Bo just looked at the girl in disbelief. For the first time ever he was being giving the chance to hold his little girl... Alive. Bo jumped at the opportunity.

"Yes… yes I would love to hold her." He exclaimed. The kind nurse smiled at him and said:

"Follow me then."

Bo followed the nurse into a room where he cleaned up and was given a cap and gown to put on. Bo followed the nurse into the NICU and there she told him to sit down in a rocking chair.

After Bo sat down the other nurse came and placed the baby in his arms. She was still hooked up to all kinds of tubes but the nurse managed to place her in his arms with out affecting any of it.

Bo looked down at the tiny little girl in his arms. He gave a small smile.

"Hey there little one. I'm your daddy." Bo stopped there for a minute to swallow back some tears.

"Look at you. You're so small. And pretty. Hell you're the most beautiful little gal I've seen in my whole life. And that's saying something!

Bo stopped again. He took a deep breath and went on.

"Listen kid. Um… Mommy's no longer with us anymore. It's just you and me. Your all I got now and… To lose you… I don't know what I'm going to do. Listen sweety. I know you're haft Hogg and they have this thing about giving up when the going get tough but... I know you're also haft Duke and well, we fight to the very end. Now I not saying that you're not fighting, cause I know you are. But if you could just use all your Duke to make sure that Hogg don't get yea, well that would mean the world to me cause baby… daddy really needs you. You're all I got now. And Baby. I've never been alone before. I don't think I could handle it.

Bo looked up at the nurse's. They had her bed made and one was on her way over to take the baby back. Bo gave the baby to her. He wiped the tears from his eyes and then followed the nurse over to the baby's crib. They put her in and Bo looked in through the glass at her. He smiled and laughed.

"You know kid-o… If your Uncle Jessie was here now. Well. What he wouldn't say to you…"

"Hmmm" humed one of nurses.

"What?" said Bo?

"Her.… Well I'm no doctore but I've read enough of these to know...Not to get your hopes up but her heart seem to have picked up a beat or two when you where talking to her"

Bo looked at the nurse with a raised eyebrow.

"What dose that mean?" asked Bo

"Well… I don't know for sure. It could be just a flux in her heart but... I have seen babies who ahve been on death door and have comed back when they hear the parents talking to them."

Bo nodded to the nurse.

"But yea. What I was saying. If Uncle Jessie was here now...."

"Hmm...It did it again." said the nurse. "When you started talking about you're Uncle Jessie.... Oh... Again. When I said Jessie... Oh! Look it did it again!"

Bo looked down at the baby. "Jessie" he said and sure enough the baby's heart rate picked up. Bo blinked his eyes and thought for a minute. He knew then what had to be done.

"Well if the name Jessie is what make her strong… Well then that is what her name will be! You guys just make sure you keep calling her by that."

And that is what they did. It took three and a haft months but each day the little baby grew stronger and stronger. By the time she was ready to go home with her dad she was drinking her milk and was a happy little girl. She'd giggle and laugh and kick her legs.

All the nurses was always telling Bo about how her little face would light up when she seen him coming.

By the end of her stay all the nurses had fallen in love with her. They were all cringing her last day there. Bo had told them that he was moving up Green's Ville, but promised that if they were up that way anytime he would bring Jessy in to see them.

Jessy. Who would of though that that name would have been the one meant for her? It was the name that gave her life. He could remember back three months ago when the nurse came to him with her birth certificate. Bo was looking at the "Name:" part of the sheet for about a good 30 minutes. When he finally gave the nurse back the sheet it read:

"Name: Jessy-Bell Duke

Birth date: July 1, 1983

Weight: 1lbs, 10oz.

Father: Beauregard Jr. Duke

Mother: Linda-Ann Hogg"

Bo smiled. His little girl that would not live had a name... and a future!