Author's Note: This is a story I wrote about the Dukes and their first years at the farm. I tried to keep it with them from the point where they got to the farm, and carry on throughout a couple of years. It's a growing and learning experience for all of them. There are also notes at the end of each chapter, a credit of sorts to a father from his son.
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
Learning To Love…
Chapter 39 …..Comforting Cousins
Luke didn't want to eat much for supper, so while he usually didn't that night Jesse fixed them up a night time snack. Daisy had heard rumors about something in school, but she was quite surprised to come home and find out it was about her cousin. Luke was feeling better though, something that Jesse was grateful for.
"What does everyone want to drink?" he asked thought he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.
"Hot chocolate," Bo piped up, starting to jump up and down on the spot, clapping his hands.
"Yeah, with marshmallows," Daisy added. "Yer special hot chocolate Uncle Jesse."
"You want hot chocolate to Luke?" Jesse asked. His oldest usually loved it too, but in spite of feeling better, Luke was even more quiet than usual.
"Yeah," he nodded from the couch where he was now trying to read a book. He had it balanced on his stomach since he kept complaining that his shoulder hurt too much to hold it. Jesse figured he must have hit the shoulder mighty hard when he landed, for it was bruised pretty much black and sure looked painful. If it still hurt when he was allowed to get up, Jesse figured to put the arm in a sling, take some of the weight of his shoulder. The football game he had promised Bo for the weekend was sure canceled. There was no way Luke was up to playing, even if Bo didn't play a very advanced football. This far, they just tossed the ball back and forth between each others. Bo loved to try and tackle Luke, but he never managed too, and Luke would just lift him up in the air as if nothing happened.
Jesse grinned as he turned back to the stove, right now Daisy was doing homework, thought he was too be finished in the next minute, Bo was playing with toy cars on the carpet, and Luke let the book drop to watch him.
"Ain't that my car?" he asked and Bo gave him a guilty look.
"My green one crashed," he admitted.
"Crashed?" Luke asked. When Bo said that, it could mean that it broke, but sometimes after a crash, Bo would consider them wrecked for a day or two, before they were 'fixed' again.
"Yeah, it crashed, real bad," Bo admitted sadly.
"Bring it here," Luke asked him, determined to find out what was wrong with it.
Bo got up and soon returned with a green car, it belonged to the 'had broke' category Luke decided. It wasn't bad though, and he was sure he could fix it later.
"Put it on the table beside my bed," he instructed Bo. "An' ya can borrow my car instead."
"Thanks Luke," Bo beamed as he ran back into the bedroom with the broken car, and then back out to play even while Jesse was putting sandwiches on the table.
"Bo, sit down on the couch before I get the hot chocolate," he stated. He didn't want the boy running around on the floor when he came in with a tray of hot drinks. Bo obediently climbed up to sit beside Luke, leaning against him.
Daisy started passing around the mugs with the hot chocolate and Jesse the plates for the sandwiches.
"There ya are Luke," Jesse told him handing him his plate with a sandwich, this kind of light snacks was the time when he didn't insist on saying grace. Let the kids eat as they wanted every once in a while, they deserved it.
"Oups," Bo mumbled suddenly. "Uncle Jesse, help."
Jesse looked up and smiled. Bo held two slices of bread in his hand, all the ham, cheese, tomatoes and everything else had fallen out for him.
"What did ya do there Bo?" Jesse mused.
"It escaped," he pouted, putting the bread down before he started trying to get everything back between the bread slices again, but as soon as he lifted it up, it all fell out again. Getting mad after the third time Bo slammed his little fist into the bread slice. "Dumb sandwich," he declared.
"Bo, I won't have ya behaving like that," Jesse cautioned him.
Tears creeping to his eyes from being scolded Bo turned around and wrapped his arms around Luke, seeing comfort.
"Hey, it ain't bad Bo," Luke soothed him.
"I'm hungry, but it escapes," Bo whined.
"Ya just have to hold it the right way," Luke told him. Carefully moving forward he straightened up Bo's sandwich for him.
"See, ya need to hold both yer hands on each side, as much as possible, an' then it's easier."
"Hold a sec an' I'll cut it up for ya so it ain't so big either," Jesse told them before getting a knife from the kitchen, cutting his sandwich into smaller pieces. Bo was still wiping his eyes, and the snack wasn't supposed to make the kid sad after all.
Bo tried it again though, and had better luck, but he looked a bit sad still and Jesse suspected that the excitement was getting to him. Luke didn't each much, and he didn't want to drink all his chocolate either. The only one with unaffected appetite was Daisy.
"Okay Bo, I think it's bedtime for you," he decided when Bo stopped eating.
"I wanna stay with Luke," Bo shook his head.
"Luke's gonna go to bed to," Jesse pointed out to him. "Just as soon as I got ya put to bed, it's gonna be Luke's turn."
Bo wanted to object, but decided against it when he saw the firm look on Jesse's face, he only stood for so much objecting, and if you crossed the line you were in trouble.
It was better to just do what he wanted and then hope he'd let him do what he wanted to after, right now, he wanted to stay with Luke. Jesse helped him get ready for bed like he always did, making sure he brushed his teeth then fetching his pajama while he washed himself.
"Come on now, lets put ya to bed," Jesse took his hand and followed him to the bedroom, tucking him in into the bed. "Now, ya know both you an' Luke need to sleep, don't ya sprout?" he asked softly.
"I know," Bo nodded.
"So no keeping him up talking," Jesse cautioned.
"Kay," Bo mumbled as Jesse pulled the cover up to his chin and handed him the teddy bear.
"Ya be a good boy now. Goodnight Bo, dream some sweet dreams," Jesse bent down to hug him and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"You to Uncle Jesse," Bo reached up to hug him again.
"Alright Luke, yer turn," Jesse smiled as he picked him up, carrying him to the bathroom to spare his ankle. He left him alone in there though, Luke had his pride and he wouldn't stand for something like that. He carried him back to bed though, determined to let his ankle rest as much as possible.
"Ya gonna be able to sleep now Luke?" Jesse asked.
"It hurts some, but I think so," he nodded.
"Well, if ya need something, ya can send Bo to get me, ya'll do that Bo, won't ya?" Jesse asked grinning. Knowing Bo would do it in an instant.
"I will," Bo promised, a bit sleepy from having waited for Luke.
"That's a good boy," Jesse grinned. Bending down to hug his oldest and kiss his forehead. "Sweet dreams now Luke."
"Goodnight Uncle Jesse," Luke said as he settled down. He had a strong feeling that he knew what was coming. Sure enough, as soon as their uncle had closed the door, bare feet hit the floor as Bo padded over and climbed up on his bed.
"Bo, are ya trying to talk me into letting ya sleep here?" he asked with a small smile.
"Can I, please?" Bo pleaded. "I's brought me own teddy bear," he held up the bear for inspection.
"I know Bo, but I'm tired an' sore, I wanna sleep," Luke told him quietly, not wanting Jesse to hear them talking.
"Ya can sleep Luke, but I don't wanna be alone," Bo explained.
"Bo, I'm in the same room as ya, yer not alone."
"Feels alone, please Luke?" Bo begged.
"Alright, but ya might have to leave," Luke cautioned. "I really wanna sleep."
"I know Luke, love ya," Bo gave him a hug before inching over to the edge of the bed. If he gave Luke a lot of room, and he was sure he'd let him stay. There was advantages to having one of the greatest cousins in the world after all.
Luke figured it wasn't so bad to indulge Bo either, not when he woke up in the middle of the night because it started hurting. All he had to do was nudge Bo awake and he went and fetched their uncle.
"Good?" Bo asked when Jesse had left and he headed back over to Luke's bed. For some strange reason his uncle always insisted on putting him to bed in his own bed. Didn't he know how much better it was to sleep in Luke's?
It was probably because their uncle never had slept in Luke's bed that he didn't know that. Sometimes in the morning if Bo woke up he would go into his uncle's bedroom and creep down there for the last minutes. Because Jesse was so much fun when he did, he'd let him be there for a bit, then he'd tickle him and play wrestle with him as it got time to get up. Luke didn't do that, he wanted to sleep instead. Probably because Bo sometimes kept him up, while Jesse could sleep the whole time until he had to get up.
Today though, he'd stay with Luke, after all you had to be faithful to your cousin.
"Bo, stop moving," Luke muttered coming half awake. He opened up his eyes and realized Bo was moving closer, with his arms open. Sighing not wanting to have Bo wrapped around his neck the rest of the night Luke gave up his pillow. Putting the pillow in his arms he watched Bo hug it without waking up. That'd be worth losing the pillow for, getting to sleep in peace.
In credit of the man who let us borrow his bed…..
TBC
Please reviev, the Cricket is hungry...