A little late I know…but I'm tryin…this chappie is dedicated to my friend B.L. who is under the weather and wanted something to read. hugs

"Bo what in the world are ya talkin' about?!" asked Luke not believing what he heard.

"Get out!!" screamed Bo huddling into himself.

Jesse rushed in. "What in tarnation…?"

Bo kept screaming not looking at either of them. "Get out!!! Get out!!!"

Jesse nodded at Luke to leave the room, before crossing to Bo taking the younger boy in his arms. "Shhhh….yer uncle Jesse's gotcha now….s'alright…"

"Keep'm away," whimpered Bo. "Keep'm 'way from me!"

"You hush now…rest Bo…rest…"

Luke stood at the window looking out into the darkness three weeks later. Ever since he had come back from the Marine Corps, he had feared not so much the dark, but the things hiding within it. Now here he was, wishing he were out in the blackness, facing down the end of a rifle or dodging tripwires… anything besides being in a place that with two words had ceased to be home. A tear dripped down his cheek.

"He knows you love him, Luke," offered Jesse softly, startling Luke so much he jumped and hurriedly wiped the tear away.

Jesse saw the wet smear on his eldest nephew's cheek. Sighing, he moved over to him, taking his handkerchief out of the pocket of his overalls and tenderly wiped it away.

The past weeks had not been kind to Luke. Having been outcast from his room, he buried himself in work, doing anything he could to get his mind off of the troubles that tormented his soul. And week after week, Jesse looked on worriedly. The last thing he wanted was for Luke to become withdrawn from the family, and he feared, what with Daisy being gone a lot, and Jesse caring for Bo, that that was what was happening.

Luke had never been the one to let things affect him emotionally. It wasn't that he didn't have sentiment. He did. He just guarded his heart carefully, letting it be seen by the few people he trusted and loved, and then rarely. Despite the ordeal he had been through in the war, Luke Duke's biggest fear wasn't a sniper rifle. It wasn't a hidden land mine or a narrow tunnel. No, his biggest fear had been and would always be losing the ones he loved… so he loved as few people as possible. In fact, truth told, he could count on his hand the people he truly loved: Jesse, Daisy, and Bo. That was it. Of course, Cooter and the General Lee might have been included on there too, but even his best friend and beloved car could not come close in comparison about how he felt about his family. The thought of losing any one of them was enough to make him quake in his boots.

Now, he felt as if his worst nightmare was coming true.

"I can't take this anymore Jesse…" admitted Luke, a plea in his voice that Jesse would remember thinking later sounded very much like a cry for help.

The white-haired man nodded and rubbed small circles on Luke's back. "He just can't get past that argument ya had…"

"But he won't let me near him to apologize…or explain what I meant…I didn't really hope he wouldn't come back…he's actin' like I'm the one that put him in that fire….I never wanted to hurt him…I just…" began Luke chokingly.

"Words have power son…I recon you both have learned that," said Jesse squeezing Luke's shoulder, noting how thin he had become. "Did you eat today?"

"Yes sir," answered Luke in a half-whisper. He wasn't exactly lying. His meal had consisted of a few bites of apple, the rest having been given to Maudine the mule. He just wasn't hungry.

"Then why don't you get some sleep…ya look a bit peaked."

"I'm ok…can't sleep on the couch anyway," answered Luke softly.

"Ya can take my room…I can stay with Bo…"

Luke interrupted him. "No…I never sleep much…you know that."

Jesse sighed but nodded. "Well if ya change yer mind…"

Luke nodded. "I'm just gonna go take a walk… get some air…," he said making his way to the door.

"By yerself?" Not shocked that Luke wanted alone time, but surprised that he would take his walk at night.

Luke shrugged.

"Take yer jacket…s'posed t' rain."

Luke managed a smile. He talked gruffly but Jesse was a protective mother hen. Luke took his jacket from the coat rack and made his way outside.

Jesse sighed whatever thoughts he was thinking soon interrupted by screams echoing from Bo's room. Silently praying for a miracle, Jesse turned going into the room to calm his nephew.

"Bo…Bo…," he said gently going over to his youngest. "Wake up son…"

Tears streamed down Bo's cheeks as he whimpered tossing back and forth.

"Bo…" said Jesse gently but in a tone you paid attention to.

Bo opened his wet eyes and looked up at him his lip trembling.

Jesse just smiled, taking the boy gently in his arms. "There now…s'alright…s'alright son…"

"Hurts," whimpered Bo.

"Where son?" asked Jesse gently.

"Ev'ry where…here…" he said trying to reach the middle of his back.

Jesse nodded getting the salve from the table and squeezing a small amount onto his hands, rubbing them together and carefully rubbing the salve in.

Bo hissed at the initial feel of the hands but the lines of pain slowly faded from his face as the cooling agent did its job.

"There we go…" said Jesse after a while. "Feels better don't it?"

Bo didn't answer. He was fast asleep.

Jesse must have dozed off in the chair beside the bed because that's where he found himself the next morning. Bo was still sleeping soundly, so he pushed himself up off the chair, working out the kink in his neck, and made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. He poked his head in the living room to check on Luke, not surprised that he was already gone. Likely he was doing the chores, and would be a while, he thought, hearing the rain pound on the roof and knowing his nephew well enough that it was likely Luke was taking advantage of the weather and fixing any leaks he found in the barn.

He was just dishing up breakfast and preparing to take Bo's tray into him when a knock sounded at the door.

"Now who could that be?" wondered Jesse aloud as he took Bo in his tray and came back wiping his hands on his overalls and opened the door.

Enos stood on the porch, his hat in hand, rain dripping onto him from a hole in the roof causing water to run like tears down his face.

"Enos! Get in here….yer just in time fer breakfast…" began Jesse taking him by the arm and showing him in.

"Oh no sir," began the deputy nervously. "I ain't here for breakfast. Not that it wouldn't be appreciated…" he added hesitantly.

"Then…why are ya here?"

Enos looked down at his hat and bit his lip. There was no mistaking the tears in his eyes. "It…it's Luke…."

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