1982. OCD TIME! LUKE IS 26, DAISY 25, AND BO 24. I DON'T OWN THEM.
Jesse was in the kitchen cooking dinner when Luke came in to talk to him.
"I reckon I owe you an explanation for why I just put Bo to bed." Luke started digging through the fruit bowl.
"Yeah, is he alright?" Jesse asked.
"Just a couple bruised ribs from Maudine is all. But, he did have an asthma attack today so, I sent him to bed." Luke replied.
"Did you see the doc?" Jesse asked.
"Yep. He told Bo to take some aspirin and take it easy." Luke replied.
"Then why'd you send him to bed?" Jesse looked at him.
"He's exhausted." Luke finally found an apple that wasn't gross.
"He did look pretty worn out, I guess." Jesse went back to his cooking.
"You sayin' I'm overprotective, Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked.
"Sometimes you are, but most of the time your intuition is pretty good. You always seem to be able to tell when Bo ain't feeling right." Jesse smiled.
"I guess I just naturally worry about him since, well you know, his asthma an'-"
"You don't have to defend yourself, Luke. I'm grateful fer your help in taking care of him." Jesse patted Luke's shoulder.
"Hey, y'all, what's for dinner?" Daisy walked into the kitchen.
"We's having chicken and green beans." Jesse replied.
"Alright. Where's Bo?" Daisy asked.
"That little bruise on his chest turned into a large bruise, so I took him to docs." Luke replied.
"Did doc order him to bed, is he that hurt?" Daisy was upset that she didn't notice it earlier.
"No, I sent him to bed. He looked like he could use some rest." Luke reassured Daisy.
"Oh, ok." Daisy set the table.
"Well, he's gotta eat or he'll feel even worse. Go get him fer dinner, Luke." Jesse said.
Luke headed to the bedroom.
"Hey, Bo?" Luke shook him a little.
"Hmm?" Bo asked in his sleep.
"Time for diner."
"No we ain't, and you know it, Rosco." Bo mumbled.
"Bo, wake up." Luke shook harder.
"Yeah?" Bo looked up.
"Time to eat diner."
"Okay." Bo sat up, failing to hide the pain that moving caused him.
"You alright?" Luke asked.
"Just fine." Bo got up and followed Luke into the kitchen.
After eating and doing the chores, the Dukes went to bed.
All of the Dukes slept fairly well until Luke woke up in the 3 o'clock hour to the sound of raspy breathing. God, not again, can't you give him a break? Luke sighed as he got out of bed to assess Bo's condition.
Bo had kicked his blankets off in his sleep and was shivering.
Please don't let him have a fever! Luke begged. He reached out to touch his cousin, and was relived to find that he was cold to the touch.
Thanks. Luke whispered to God.
"Hey, Bo?" Luke shook him gently. "I hate to have to wake you, but you're wheezing something awful." Luke said when he saw Bo's eyes open.
"I'm fine, jus' cold." Bo reached for his blanket, that Luke was already pulling around him.
Luke studied Bo's face and body language for a minute, concluding that he was in pain.
"You hurtin'?" Luke asked. No response. "Bo, I said, 'r you in pain?" Luke shook his shoulder.
"Go back to bed, Luke, I'm okay." Bo rolled over, gritting his teeth when his injuries attacked him with pain.
"Sit up, Bo." Luke pulled Bo up and leaned him against the head board.
"Jus' get some sleep, I'm fine." Bo sighed.
"Listen to me." Luke put his hand on Bo's the side of Bo's neck.
"I's listening."
"Good. Now, you ain't breathing too good so, I want you to take some of your inhaler, alright?" Luke pleaded.
"I don't need it..." Bo mumbled, falling back asleep.
"How many times have you told me that over the years and then ended up suffocating 5 minutes later?" Luke protested.
"Fine..." Bo reached into the dresser drawer and pulled out his inhaler, used it once, and put it back. Luke listened to Bo breathe for a few minutes.
"You happy, now?" Bo huffed.
"No, you're in pain." Luke pressed.
"I'm alright, it'll be fine..." Bo was exausted and just wanted to sleep.
Seeing that he'd fall asleep and be out of pain for the night, Luke allowed it. "Alright, g'night."
The next morning, earlier than the Dukes usually woke up, Bo was the first one awake. He was awaken by a sharp pain in his chest when he went to inhale. He almost gasped, but he caught the sound in his throat: he didn't want to wake poor Luke and get him all worried over nothing... AGAIN. Bo struggled to sit up, but this caused a fiery pain in his stomach.
He settled into small, shallow breaths that caused the least about of pain. Bo wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew that that wasn't going to be possible so, he pulled his blanket off and picked up a book.
After about an hour of breathing in glass shards, Bo was sick of it. He quietly pulled his inhaler from the drawer, taking it repeatedly in a desperate effort to relax his lungs and take away the pain that came with such a simple thing as breathing, but the pain was relentless.
Oh, great. Bo thought when he felt his stomach turn over and tense in pain. Now, I'm gonna puke all over. Bo quickly, yet quietly snuck off to the bathroom to throw up.
He struggled to keep himself steady, as he was very shaky from the inhaler's albuterol. Bo hated the side effects of the medication. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he threw up in the bath tub, but he was making quite a bit of sound, despite his best efforts to keep quiet. Suddenly, the pain in his stomach became much worse and collapsed into a fetal position. Bo tried to suppress his moans and heaves as he started to become unaware.
Luke heard the commotion and rushed into the bathroom.
Dang you, Bo. Next time, wake me up, and I'll help you. Luke put a hand on Bo's back and stomach. He felt Bo's stomach still heaving out it's insides.
Bo was shaking and mumbling, trying to stop the horrible pain in his stomach. Luke kept a firm hold on him.
"I'm alright... I jus' need-" Bo struggled between uncontrollable sounds.
"Relax, and lemme help you." Luke picked Bo's head up into his lap and stuck an inhaler in his mouth. Bo coughed and heaved against his own will.
Luke put a hand on Bo's chest and talked softly in his ear: "Can you try to breathe? I know you can. Jus' take a little breath first. You need some of this medicine. I know, it's the reason you're throwing up, but you still need it. I know fer a fact you'd rather throw up than suffocate."
Luke finally got Bo to take a little breath, then another and a few more, and soon he wasn't heaving or wheezing anymore, just breathing hard, shaking, and coughing.
"Hurts in my- ahhhh..." Bo tightened his stomach muscles.
"What?" Luke looked down at Bo's pain staked face. Bo curled tighter around the pain and let out a moan. Luke hadn't heard Bo moan in pain like that since he'd ripped his arm open in a wreck.
"Un-curl, Bo it makes it worse." Luke forced Bo's curled body to separate.
"Ahhhhh..." Bo moaned, pushing against Luke's hands as he tried to curl into a fetal position once again.
"What's hurtin' you, cousin?" Luke pressed his hands into Bo's stomach in several places until Bo moaned loudly.
"What is it?" Luke asked.
"Let go." Bo struggled to breathe. Luke pushed on another spot.
"Stop." Bo choked, pulling at Luke's hands.
"I need to make sure you don't have appendicitis." Luke continued pushing on Bo's stomach, receiving moans of all volumes.
"Can't breathe when you do that." Bo complained.
"I know, just a few more." Luke pressed in deeply on Bo's left side.
"Aaaaah.." Bo struggled against the offending hands.
"Okay, that's good." Luke smiled.
"What is?" Bo asked, wondering what Luke could possibly think was good about excruciating pain.
"If it hurts here, then it ain't your appendix." Luke replied, releasing his hands from Bo's stomach.
"It probably jus' spasms from the inhaler..." Bo sighed. "But, dang, it hurts..."
"Let's get you on back to bed so's you can relax."
Luke helped Bo to his feet and held his arm as they walked back to bed.
"You okay, now?" Luke asked after Bo laid down.
"Yeah." Bo panted.
"You're still not breathin' right." Luke sat on Bo's bed.
"My stomach jus' hurts." Bo tensed as Luke placed his hand on his stomach, pushing down.
"Well, you don't have appendicitis." Luke confirmed again for his own sanity.
"I'm alright. I'll just sleep the pain off." Bo rolled over.
"Alright, but if you need me, you wake me." Luke returned to his own bed.
