picking up exactly where we left of y'all...
Not too much later, Daisy pulled up in front of the house. She went inside, but no one was there so, she headed out to the barn.
"Bo! What happened to you?" Daisy dropped to her bare knees in front of Bo.
Bo didn't answer her, he'd passed out a while ago.
"Bo, look at me." Daisy rolled him on his back and turned his face towards her.
"...aisy?" Bo gasped.
"Honey what happened?" Daisy helped him sit to up.
Bo tried to take a breath to speak, but all he succeeded in doing was wheezing. Daisy tore through her bag for an inhaler and put it up to Bo's mouth.
"Deep breath." She instructed, running her fingers through his sweaty hair.
Bo just sat wheezing, not even attempting the breath that Daisy'd suggested.
"C'mon Bo..." Daisy coaxed. She finally got him to take a few shallow breaths and accept some medication.
"I'm alright now..." Bo told her, but it was obvious that he wasn't: his eyes were shut and his breathing was still quite labored.
"Jus' a few more, sugar..." Daisy insisted.
Bo allowed Daisy to help him take the inhaler several more times. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." Bo struggled to stand up so, Daisy helped him.
"You're still not breathing right." Daisy remarked.
"I'm okay..." Bo panted.
"You ain't steady on yer feet. Lets get you in the house." Daisy took Bo by the arm and helped him into the house.
Bo got himself a glass of water and sat down in a kitchen chair.
"Don't drink cold water, honey. 'Specaily not after an attack." Daisy warned.
"Ugh, I can't take this!" Bo stood up and raised his voice, causing his breathing to worsen.
"Calm down, you're gonna get into it all over again." Daisy warned, but it was too late. Bo was already coughing his lungs out into his elbow. "I hate this," he rasped.
"I know you do." Daisy handed him the inhaler again, which he took several times.
"It ain't helpin..." Bo panted.
"What do ya mean?"
"What I said..." Bo leaned heavily against the wall as he choked for air.
"Sit down." Daisy helped him to sit on the kitchen floor.
"I can't breathe..." Bo leaned on Daisy, who stuck the inhaler in his mouth.
"Relax, honey." Daisy could feel how tight Bo's muscles were.
Bo was dizzy from the lack of oxygen and nauseous and shaky from having had so much of the inhaler that day. He leaned on Daisy's shoulder and closed his eyes as she helped him breathe.
"I think I can breathe now," Bo spoke up. "But I'm real nauseous..." Bo's hands were shaking and his stomach was turning.
"Think you can walk over to the bath tub with my help?" Daisy asked.
"I can try..." Bo said as he stood up with Daisy's help.
"You okay?" Daisy asked as she steadied his body.
Bo fell to his knees gagging. Daisy quickly got a kitchen pot and put it underneath his face. Bo threw up for a good 5 minutes straight, until all there was were dry heaves.
"Calm down, Bo." Daisy wiped his mouth.
"I think I'm gonna pass out..." Bo admitted weakly. Daisy lowered him to a laying position with his head in her lap, and stroked his hair.
"Deep breaths, an' try to relax." Daisy suggested.
"I'm hot..." Bo panted.
Daisy took another cold rag that she had prepared when Bo had started throwing up and wiped his face down. After a while he fell asleep in Daisy's lap.
A little while later, Luke pulled up, slipped out of the General and headed over to Maudine's stall. He put some of the banamine in a bucket of grain and fed it to her.
"What happened to him, is he hurt?" Luke asked as he walked in the house, seeing Bo laying in Daisy's arms on the floor. He knew that he shouldn't have left Bo alone when he could sense that something was gonna happen!
"No, his asthma."
"He told me he had his inhaler with him!" Luke huffed.
"I saw it over by the wood he was choppin'. He must've come into the barn for somethin and had the attack there." Daisy defended Bo.
"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone..." Luke sighed, looking at Bo.
"Can you help me get him on to the couch?" Daisy squirmed under her younger, yet larger cousin.
"Yeah, we'd best." Luke picked Bo up and carried him over to the couch.
Luke and Daisy settled Bo's sleeping body on the couch in the living room.
"What 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 ripped the Boar's Nest 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.
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 a 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.
Bo smiled to himself when he didn't hear Luke say 'I told you so'. "Well, Uncle Jesse don'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.
"Now, why didn't ya have an inhaler?" Luke asked.
"I had it over by the wood pile, but when I went to fix Maudine's 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.
"Easy, cousin." Bo was inhaling sharply after each heave, causing some of the substance to be inhaled.
"Calm 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.
"Was it hurtin you to throw up just now?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, ya know then dang spasms from my inhaler?" Bo knew that wasn't the only reason it hurt, but why bother telling Luke that the mule'd bruised him up a little bit, he'd probably be just fine by tomorrow anyway.
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.
"C'mon, Luke why can't I jus do it?" Bo complained.
"Why? Cause 30 minutes ago you were unconscious on the floor." Luke set Bo back in a kitchen table chair, then he 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.
"You alright, son?" Jesse stood in front of Bo, turning his pale face towards him.
"Yeah, jus the old asthma." Bo offered his uncle a smile, trying to let him know that he was really just fine. Jesse'd gained enough worry wrinkles over him.
...
Since Luke didn't know that Bo was hurt, he didn't see any problem with Bo riding into town with him to pick up the new tires for the General Lee.
When they arrived at the garage, 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.
"You know I hate to bring this up, but you have been breathing real quick like since you got here. You okay, buddy?" Cooter got out from under the car and walked over to Bo.
"Yeah, I was just wresting with Maudine and got a few bruises is all." Bo assured him, but it was very convincing: it was obvious that Bo was in quite the amount of pain.
"Why don't you sit down, Bo." Cooter put a hand on Bo's shoulder.
"I'm really jus' fine."
"Bo, you're breathin real rough, jus sit down..." Cooter sat Bo down on some boxes.
Seeing how much relief sitting down gave him, Bo decided to stay sitting down.
Satisfied that the young Duke would be alright, Cooter headed back over to the General.
"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. Wait did he just hear the pitch of Bo's voice go up at the end of his sentence? And were Bo's eyes filled with pain, or was he just seeing things?
"You in pain, cuz?" Luke asked, looking Bo in the eyes so he couldn't lie.
There was no point in saying no now, Luke knew dang well that he was in pain. "Just a little sore from Maudine earlier." Bo sighed.
"What do ya mean? What'd she do to you, Bo?"
"She got her wrap off so I went to put it back on, but she didn't like that idea much." Bo sighed.
"Bo why didn't ya tell me? Take yer shirt off." Luke demanded.
Bo sighed and removed removed his shirt.
"Just a little sore..." Luke muttered. "Bo, we are goin to docs just as soon as Cooter's done!" he demanded.
"Yeah, alright." Bo sighed.
Bo didn't complain about going to docs? It really was serious, Luke decided.
Once Cooter was all done, the boys took off for docs.
"Bye Cooter, thanks!" Luke called.
"No problem, boys. Y'all tell me how ya feel later Bo!" Cooter waved as they drove off.
...
"The good news is there ain't no broken bones. Blunt force trauma seems to be the culprit of your pain and bruising." Doc reported after examining and x-raying Bo.
"Blunt force is right..." Bo muttered as he remembered being slammed.
"How serious is it?" Luke asked, refusing to relax just yet.
"It'll be pretty painful, and in order to allow the tissues to heal, Bo's gonna need to take it easy for a week or two. That means no driving around in that car: you'll be in bed for at least a week, young man." Doc ordered.
Luke was about to ask a question, but doc hushed him. "Why don't you get Bo out to the car, and then you can come back for instructions." Doc instructed.
"Alright, c'mon Bo." Luke helped him to his feet and into his shirt.
"Thanks doc." Bo waved as Luke led him out to the General. Luke had Bo's arm around his shoulders and his own arm wrapped around Bo's back to stabilize him. Bo grunted with each step, and they both frowned when they got out to the General Lee and remembered the doors.
"You think ya can get in there if I help ya?" Luke asked him.
"I got in before didn't I?"
"Yeah, but-"
"You're right, it hurts more than it did before, but I can still do it."
"Okay." Luke sighed. He got Bo right next to the car and held him up while he put his left leg in, then he reached down and pulled his right leg up, supporting him as he slipped into the car.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked, seeing that Bo wouldn't face him. He was more than likely bearing his teeth in pain.
"I'll live..." Bo sighed.
"Alright, I'll be right back." Luke promised before going back in to talk with the doc.
"I know what you was gonna ask, Luke. Is he gonna end up with pneumonia? He may or may not, it all depends on if he takes the pain pills that I'm gonna give him. If he's in to much pain to breathe properly, he'll end up with pneumonia. I'll give you a prescription for some light pain pills, and is he refuses, you can threaten him with pneumonia and I'm pretty sure that'll bring him around. You should also ice the area frequently." Doc wrote the instructions down, along with the prescription.
"Alright." Luke took the paper.
"And you keep him in bed. I know how high that boy's pain tolerance is, so I don't expect he'll want to stay in his bed." Doc chuckled.
"I'll do my very best. Thank ya." Luke shook docs hand before he left.
Luke got out to the General and drove away quite slowly, so's not to jostle Bo.
"Why didn't you tell us you was hurt earlier, Bo?" Luke asked.
"It didn't hurt too bad so I figured I'd be just fine by tomorrow. When I got out of the General Lee at Cooter's, it got a lot worse."
The boys stopped by the pharmacy, then drove on home. Bo slept through most of the ride, and when they got to the farm, he was still sound asleep. Luke decided to let him sleep in the General fer a spell. Now that Maudine was on banamine, she was much clamer and didn't put a fuss up when Luke re-did her bandage. After he was done with that, Luke told Jesse and Daisy about what all was the matter with Bo.
About an hour later, Bo woke up. He knew he'd never be able to get out of the General by himself, so he reached for the CB to call to everyone inside the house, but just as he was about to speak, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Luke had made sure to wait right by the General for Bo to wake up: he didn't want him trying to get out on his own, but it looked like Bo was gonna be a good boy and CB for help anyway. Luke laughed at himself on the inside… he really was too over protective. "Ya wanna get out?" He asked.
"Yeah, okay… how long was I asleep?" Bo asked.
"Just about 2 hours." Luke replied as he reached into the General to pull Bo out.
Luke'd stood there waiting for him for at least an hour, Bo figured, seeing as how it took an hour to get home from where they'd been with Luke driving slow for Bo's sake like had been.
Bo held his breath and shut his eyes, enough to keep from making any noise. Luke helped him into the house and onto the couch. As long as he wasn't moving around too much, Bo found that it was a pretty tolerable amount of pain.
"You sleep here till dinner, an after that yer goin right to bed." Luke ordered as he pulled a spare blanket from the closet out and placed it on top of Bo.
"I have to sleep? I just slept for two hours, Luke." Bo complained.
"I reckon ya don't have to, I jus thought ya might wanna." Luke shrugged.
"Alright. An hey, thanks, cousin." Bo smiled.
"Don't mention it." Luke patted Bo on the shoulder.
Bo didn't plan on sleeping, it sorta just happened. He didn't realize how tired he was until he found it near impossible to keep his eyes open.
