1982 AND YES, I'M SORRY, I STILL HAVE OCD SO HERE WE GO: LUKE IS 26, DAISY 25, AND BO 24. I DON'T OWN ANY OF THEM. ENJOY THE CHAPTER! (IF I CAN EVER GET IT STARTED, I AM WAY TOO OBSESSED WITH AUTHOR'S NOTES…)
Luke and Daisy settled Bo's sleeping body on the couch in the living room.
"What exactly happened to him?" Luke asked.
"I found him unconscious on the barn floor when I got home." Daisy replied.
"Yeah, what are you doing home so early, anyway?" Luke asked.
"Some hot shot was picking fights over at the Boar's Nest and ripped the place to shreds so, Boss had to close early. Thank God he did, or Bo could've-"
"Let's not even think of that. He's alright now." Luke glanced at Bo. "He does look kind of hot though. Lets cool him off a little." Luke wet some rags and put them on Bo's face and chest.
"Hey, Daisy, did you notice this bruise, here?" Luke fingered the bruise on Bo's chest.
"Yeah, I did, but it was a lot smaller than that." Daisy said.
"I'll ask him when he wakes up." Luke decided.
After about 15 minutes of the wet rag treatment, Bo woke up.
"Don't tell Luke, Daisy... he don't need to worry..." Bo mumbled, not realizing that Luke was standing over his shoulder.
"I already am worrying." Luke put his hand on Bo's shoulder.
"When did you get home?" Bo jerked his head towards Luke.
"About 20 minutes ago." Luke looked at the clock.
"Well, Uncle Jesse doesn't have to know about it. Dang, I never finished with that wood!" Bo stood up.
"I'll do it for you." Luke put a hand on Bo's chest and pushed him back down.
"What's this anyway?" Luke pointed out the bruise.
"I was wrestlin' with Maudine. She got her bandage undone and I had to re-do it."
"Why didn't you have an inhaler?" Luke asked.
"I had it over by the wood pile, but when I went to fix her bandage I forgot to bring it." Bo explained.
"Keep one in your dang pocket at all times, Bo! How many times? You've had asthma for what, 19 years now? One of these days your 'forgetting' is gonna cost you your life!" Luke scolded.
"I'm sorry!" Bo looked at his feet.
"Alright now, here you go. Keep it in your pocket." Luke handed Bo the inhaler that Daisy had had in her purse.
"I took so much of that today, I don't think I can handle anymore." Bo put his hand on his stomach.
"Are you nauseous?" Luke asked.
"Sorry." Bo was sick of being a 'burden.'
"Come on." Luke helped Bo into the bathroom and held him over the bathtub as he thew up.
"Y'all need anything in there?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah, a wet rag, please." Luke requested.
"Sure thing." Daisy fetched a wet rag and handed it to Luke, who pulled Bo's head back and wiped his mouth.
"I ain't done yet." Bo complained.
"I know, just let me clean you up a little." Luke put him back into puking position. Bo moaned with every nasty heave.
"Does it hurt?" Luke asked. Bo couldn't reply, he was too busy uncontrollably throwing up, but Luke already knew the answer.
"Easy, cousin." Bo was inhaling sharply after each heave, causing some of the substance to be inhaled. "Clam down, you've worked yourself up into a state." Luke tried to calm Bo down. Bo slowed the heaving until it was coughing. Luke wiped his mouth again.
"I think I swallowed some of it with my air." Bo explained the feeling of inhaling throw up as he coughed and wheezed on it.
Luke leaned Bo up against the wall. "How much of it did you get?"
"Not much." Bo replied, wanting Luke off his case for the day, seeing as how he felt he had been a 'burden' to his older cousins all day.
"Sit here for a minute and get control of your lungs." Luke stood up and went to the their shared bedroom, retrieving a shirt for Bo to wear. "Put this on." Luke tossed it to him. Bo emerged from the bathroom and the three Duke cousins walked into the kitchen.
"Where's Uncle Jesse?" Daisy asked.
"Out in the back 40." Luke replied.
"I'll go see about that wood now." Bo headed for the door.
"Hey! I'm doing that." Luke grabbed his arm.
"Why can't I?"
"You know why, now get in here." Luke set Bo back in a kitchen table chair. Luke went outside to chop that last bit of wood.
An hour later, Jesse returned from the back 40.
"Hey kids!" Jesse started making lunch. "What are you doing home so early, Daisy?" Jesse was glad to see his niece.
"Someone tore up the Boar's Nest so Boss had to close early." Daisy explained.
After lunch, Bo and Luke took off in the General Lee to get a new set of tires over at Cooter's Garage. When they arrived, Cooter was sleeping in his truck cab.
"Hey, Cooter?" Luke climbed out of the General and over to the window of Cooter's truck.
"Oh, hey Luke. You got the General Lee with you?" Cooter asked.
"Yep."
"Alright, drive him on in there and I'll get started." Cooter got out of his truck. Bo drove the General inside and climbed out.
Cooter had two of the new tires on, when he started to get thirsty. "Hey, could one of you boys get some cold water for me? I'd appreciate it." Cooter asked. Bo looked at Luke as if to say 'I did it last time' so, Luke headed out to get some water for Cooter.
"I ain't even allowed to drink cold water." Bo kicked the floor.
"Hows come?" Cooter asked.
"You get three guesses." Bo joked.
"Ah, sorry I forgot. I don't know how I could. How does cold water cause asthma attacks, anyway?" Cooter asked.
"Ah, I don't know, something about a bronchospasm or something like that." Bo huffed.
"While we're on the subject... I hate to bring this up, but you have been breathing really quickly since you got here. You ok, buddy?" Cooter got out from under the car.
"Yeah, I was just wresting with Maudine and got a few bruises is all."
"Does Luke know?"
"Yeah I told him what happened."
"No I mean, does he know you're in pain right now?"
"Probably not."
"If I can tell he can."
"True."
"Why don't you sit down, Bo." Cooter put his hand on Bo's shoulder.
"I'm really just fine."
"You're in pain, don't deny it." Cooter sat Bo down on some boxes.
"I't ain't all that bad." Bo lied: throwing up earlier had made it hurt something terrible.
"Come on, Bo. I can see it in your face."
"Alright, it hurts like hell. But don't tell Luke." Bo sighed.
"And just why not?" Cooter asked.
"Because he has worried about me enough today."
"If you're hurt you should see a doctor." Cooter reasoned.
"I'm just fine, it don't even hurt that bad."
"You just said, 'it hurts like hell'." Cooter reminded him. "Let me see it."
"Ok, you win." Bo pulled his shirt off.
"That ain't nothing to sneeze at!" Cooter looked at the large bruise on Bo's chest.
"Yeah well, now you've seen it so, you can quit your worrying." Bo put his shirt back on.
"You might have some busted ribs in there." Cooter said.
"If I had busted any ribs, I'd know." Bo replied.
"I still say you should tell Luke that you're in pain, if he doesn't already know." Cooter returned to working on the General Lee. Just then, Luke returned with Cooter's water.
"Sorry it took me so long. I ran in to Sue Anne." Luke handed Cooter his water and walked over next to Bo.
"Do you got the money for the tires?" Bo asked.
"Yeah." Luke replied. "Are you hurt, Bo?" Luke looked Bo in the eyes so that he couldn't lie.
"Just a little sore from Maudine earlier." Bo replied.
"Let me see that little bruise." Luke asked. Defeated, Bo removed his shirt.
"Bo! What did she do to you? It wasn't this bad before!"
"You know how bruises swell up over time." Bo replied.
"You are going straight to doc Appleby's as soon as Cooter is done." Luke ordered.
"Ok." Bo replied.
"I'm going over to Ruebottom's to pick up some things that Uncle Jesse asked for. You be ok here?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, just fine." Bo replied.
"Ok, I'll be out directly." Luke headed off to Ruebottom's.
After a while, Cooter didn't like the fact that Bo wasn't saying anything at all. He was being too quiet to be Bo Duke.
"You alright, Bo?" Cooter asked.
"Yeah." Bo mumbled.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." This time a cough escaped him. Cooter stood up and walked over to Bo.
"You alright?" Cooter asked.
"Yep." Bo wheezed.
"No you ain't." Cooter listened to Bo's labored breathing.
"I'm just fine." Bo tried to say, but he was rudely interrupted by a nasty fit of coughing.
"You ain't just fine, Bo." Cooter supported Bo's weight, that Bo wasn't even aware that he was weighing on Cooter.
"You're right. Can't breathe." Bo desperately fought to inhale.
"Take it easy." Cooter reached into Bo's pocket and pulled out his inhaler. "Use it." He handed it to Bo, whose hands were much to shaky to use it so, Cooter put the inhaler in Bo's mouth himself. "Sit down." Cooter eased Bo on to the floor.
"Get Luke." Bo panted.
"There ain't no time to. You need this medicine right now." Cooter continued providing it until Bo could breathe again.
"I'm dizzy." Bo curled on his side and started gagging. Cooter picked him up and carried him out to the bushes, where he supported his body weight while he threw up. "Take it easy." Cooter tried to calm him.
"I've had too much of that dang stuff today." Bo wretched. After several minutes, Cooter helped Bo to his feet, Bo cleaned up and got into the passenger side of the General Lee.
"Are you alright now?" Cooter put his hand on Bo's shoulder.
"Yeah, thanks." Bo smiled at him. Luke came out of the store and climbed into the General.
"Thanks, Cooter." Luke handed Cooter the money for the tires.
"No problem, boys. Y'all have a nice day." Cooter waved as they drove off.
"Are you alright?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, why?" Bo asked back.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you look like you just had an attack." Luke looked at Bo.
"Well, so what if I did?" Bo shrugged.
"Well, we're going to doc's anyway." Luke smiled.
At doc's office, Bo and Luke walked inside.
"Hey, doc!" They greeted.
"Hey, boys. You don't look so good, Bo." Doc remarked.
"He don't feel so good either, that's why we's here." Luke shoved Bo into the exam room. Bo and Luke explained everything that had happened that day.
"No broken bones, but you will be sore for quite some time." Doc concluded after examining Bo.
"Ok, thanks, see you later!" Bo grabbed his shirt and headed for the door.
"Just a minute, young man." Doc called him back.
"What?" Bo asked.
"How much does it hurt? Be honest." Doc asked.
"I don't know, medium to bad, I guess." Bo shrugged.
"When you get home, take some aspirin." Doc recommended. "And take it easy." He ordered.
"You heard him, Bo." Luke patted Bo's back and they headed out to the car.
"Thanks, bye!" Bo called as they drove away.
When they arrived at home, Luke filled Jesse and Daisy in on everything and sent his baby cousin off to bed.
"He just said take it easy, not that I'm bedridden!" Bo laughed as he laid down. Truth was, he really was exhausted and in a pretty good amount of pain so, he didn't put up too much of a fight.
"Sleep, Bo." Luke laughed as he walked out of the room.