the chapter after this 'fire' has an a/n at the end that says "there is no chapter before or after this to give myself something to do later" well now its later. This is set the and day before that chapter, explaining how everything ended up the way it did that night. anyway its 1978 obviously, and Luke is 22, Daisy 21, and Bo is 20. I don't own the dukes of hazzard.

"Come on, Bo!" Luke called as he got into the passenger side of the General.

"I'm comin, already!" Bo replied, obviously annoyed.

Luke waited a few more seconds, then Bo came running out of the barn, slid over the hood, and climbed into the driver's side of General Lee.

Luke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Spare the paint j-"

"Ya told me to 'come on', so I did." Bo sighed angrily as he started the General.

"Maybe you can hurry cause you ain't jus' shoveled near 100 pounds'o mule crap!" Bo shouted abruptly as he pulled the General onto the road, accelerating much faster than what was necessary.

"Geez, whats the matter with you?" Luke asked: he always teased Bo playfully, and Bo'd always tease him back.

"Nothin, I just ain't exactly in the mood to be bossed around." Bo gritted his teeth and his foot pressed the gas harder.

"I weren't bossin' you around, Bo! I was just tellin you to hurry up cause we told Cooter we'd be there at 1!" Luke shouted.

Bo coughed into his elbow and rolled his eyes, then he took a breath and huffed it out. "I'm sorry, Luke. I ain't mad at you." he sighed.

Luke knew exactly what Bo meant. "It's okay. Sorry I shouted back." he offered.

"Yeah, its fine. T'was my fault, anyhow." Bo sighed.

Luke wanted to say 'it weren't yer fault, it was asthma's fault', but he figured he'd best not.

Aside from the roaring of General Lee's powerful V8 and the whine of his supercharger, there was silence. Until Luke broke it, that is. "Have this." He requested, handing Bo an inhaler from the glove box.

Bo blinked long and hard, taking the inhaler in his fist. "Thanks." he managed.

"Its okay." Luke offered in a low voice, allowing Bo absence of eye contact.

Once Bo was finished with the inhaler, he dropped it on the floor of the General harshly. "Luke, my chest hurts." he admitted.

"I would ask how bad, but by telling me at all, ya just told me how bad." Luke sighed sympathetically. He then starting thinking about how he could convince Bo to go to docs, but Bo beat him to it.

"Luke, it actually hurts. Like a lot." Bo turned and looked at Luke. Bo wouldn't ask right out to go to docs, saying 'it hurts, like a lot' was as close as he'd come.

"Okay," Luke started, "Pull over, an' I'll drive. We're goin to docs." he decided, keeping his voice calm.

"Okay." Bo agreed and pulled the General to the side of the road. Then the boys switched seats.

"Ya can't breathe, can ya?" Luke asked.

"I can breathe." Bo panted as he leaned back into the seat, taking rapid, harsh breaths.

"Bo this is serious." Luke stated, his foot meeting the floor. "Just listen to yourself."

"I know." Bo panted.

"Here." Luke handed Bo the inhaler from off the floor.

Bo took it several times, and it helped a little bit.

Luke sat in silence and just drove as fast as he could: well, it wasn't silence: people in China could probably hear Bo breathing... or, trying to.

"Luke... I ain't- (cough) gonna... make it..." Bo struggled. Then he took to a coughing fit, bringing his arm up to his mouth.

"Okay, you're gonna be fine." Luke offered, along with a hand on Bo's shoulder.

Bo looked at Luke and shook his head.

"I'm goin as fast as I can, cousin." Luke assured. "You're gonna be fine." Luke was actually scared out of his wits, but he knew he had to stay strong for Bo... if Bo was coming apart about it, that meant it was serious.

Bo leaned back in the seat and slowly allowed his eyes to close.

"Bo, no! Bo!" Luke shook him.

Bo managed to drag his lids back open, and along with 'em a small breath.

"There ya go. Now please hang on, cousin! You can make it, we's almost there." Luke begged.

"kay."

...

Within 10 minutes 'ol General Lee got em to docs. By this time Bo could hardly breathe at all so, Luke had to carry him to the door.

Doc opened the door and saw just what he'd expected to see when he'd heard that voice: Luke Duke standing there scared out of his over-loving mind, holding his suffocated cousin on his shoulders.

"Get him right in here." Doc urged, opening the door wider.

Luke quickly got Bo laying on the exam table and took his hand.

Doc set Bo up with a nasal cannula and a nebulizer. Then he looked at Luke as he got a hypodermic needle and antiseptic out. Luke nodded and gently shut Bo's eye lids with his hand.

Bo tried to move and sit up, but Luke laid a gentle hand on his chest to stop him. "You're okay. Stay put, I'm right here."

Once doc had the IV all set up, he stood back from his work. "Now all we've gotta do's pray." he sighed.

Bo's 'breaths' could probably still be heard in China, but it was starting to get better.

"Its improving." Doc smiled. "So, what happened?" he asked.

"I don't really know. He told me that his lungs hurt while we was in the General so I made him pull over. We switched seats so's I could drive him here, and he just kept gettin worse off." Luke explained.

"I can't be too sure without an X-ray, but it seems he's gotta the pneumonia again. He definitely looks to have a fever." Doc sighed, then he looked up at Luke sharply. "He told you that his lungs hurt him?"

"I know, scary right?" Luke chuckled to lighten the mood.

Doc took away the nebulizer and replaced the cannula with a mask. "You okay in there, son?" he asked.

Bo nodded, although he felt like throwing up.

"I think he's gonna be sick..." Luke noticed.

"Bo?" doc asked.

Bo nodded again so, Luke and the doc helped him to a sitting position to throw up into a bag.

"Okay..." Luke soothed as he started to rub Bo's back.

Once he was finished, Bo pulled the mask back up from where it hung on his neck and tried to catch his breath.

"Stay sitting up for now. It gives better exposure for your airways, as you know." Doc requested when he saw Bo go to lay down again.

Luke put an arm around Bo's shoulders and back to support him so that he didn't have to do too much work to stay sitting up.

"I'll take your temperature once you catch your breath." Doc warned.

Bo felt as if he was gonna faint: he could hardly breathe, and the needle in his hand didn't make things much better. He shut his eyes and leaned his head back.

Luke took his free hand and tipped Bo's head forward just a touch, then he kept his hand there to support Bo's head.

Doc smiled at the two as he placed his stethoscope on Bo's back. "Definitely pneumonia. I'll still take an X-ray if you'd like, Luke." he said once he'd had a good long listen.

"Yeah, please." Luke requested.

"I'll just wait until he can actually breathe." Doc sighed.

"You're doin fine, Bo. Stay relaxed." Luke instructed.

Bo did so with the help of Luke, and soon he was breathing well enough for the doc to briefly remove the mask and take his temperature.

"Ah, man... I knew it. I'm sorry, Bo." Doc sighed as he showed the boys the thermometer: 103.5

Bo rolled his eyes.

"I know." Luke offered.

"Lets get to the X-ray now." Doc suggested.

...

"Like I told y'all: pneumonia." Doc sighed.

"I'm sorry, Bo." Luke sighed.

Bo nodded and shrugged.

"One question I got, doc..." Luke started.

"Yes?"

"Hows come when he got in the General at first, he was breathing okay?"

"Was he working today?" Doc asked.

Bo's eyes widened and he nodded.

Luke smiled "Bo says 'hell yeah'." he chuckled.

"That'll do it." Doc explained.

"But he was fine right after his work. Only once he sat down did it get worse."

Bo shook his head.

"What?" Luke asked.

Bo pulled the mask down briefly, "had attack...in barn..." he wheezed, then quickly put the mask back on.

"Anyhow, you boys know the drill. Once you're okay for the ride home without oxygen you can do just that. But I'm sending you home with some oxygen for tonight... AND I'm giving you a shot of albuterol before you leave."

Bo held his IV'd hand up in frustration as if to ask 'than whats this IV for?'

Doc just looked at Luke.

"He wants to know whats in his IV." Luke translated.

"Oh, you're dehydrated." Doc explained.

Bo nodded... he'd rather drink a whole pond of water than to have a dang IV.

Soon the boys headed home and Bo was ordered to the couch. It wasn't much of an order though, cause he didn't much mind: he felt terrible. Luke called up Cooter to apologize for not showing up for General Lee's check up.

"Hey, Cooter?"

"Yeah, Luke, where you Duke boys at?" he asked.

"Bo's got pneumonia again so I had to take him to docs and so on." Luke explained. "I'll bring the General by tomorrow if I can."

"Oh, don't you worry about it. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay fer now."

"Alright. I'll stop by later if I can."

"Thanks, Cooter. Bye now."

"Bye."

...

Soon after, Daisy got home and was told the second she entered the house to BE QUIET, rather harshly by Luke, who ran to shield his sleeping Bo that was on the couch.

"What in the world, Luke?" Daisy whispered.

"That's what." Luke stepped away and revealed Bo's feverish face and tired looking expression.

"Aw... poor baby, what happened?" Daisy asked, immediately kneeling next to the couch and starting to put her fingers in Bo's hair.

"He's got the dang pneumonia again." Luke sighed as he adjusted Bo's blanket.

Jesse stepped into the living room from the kitchen. "Hey, Daisy." he greeted.

"Howdy, Uncle Jesse." she smiled.

"Dinners ready." Jesse said as he headed back into the kitchen.

Luke and Daisy went to eat with Jesse. After dinner and chores Luke went to get Bo into bed.

"Wake up, cousin." he gently shook him by the shoulder.

Bo turned his head to face Luke and slowly opened his eyes.

"Time to get in bed." Luke explained as he grabbed Bo under the arms to sit him up.

Bo nodded and allowed Luke to get him to his feet. Luke could tell by the looks of him that Bo was not exactly stoked about walking right now so, he scooped him up and carried him into their room, putting him straight into his bed.

Bo curled up and reached for his blanket.

"Not yet." Luke turned Bo back over and pulled his jeans off, replacing then with sweat pants. He'd already removed his shirt for him to sleep on the couch, so that was all there was to be done.

Bo curled back up again and Luke pulled his blanket up to his chin. "Doc done give me more than jus' albuterol in that shot, huh?" he slurred.

"Yeah. It was fer your own good, cuz." Luke explained.

"Ain't mad." Bo slurred.

"Okay, good."

"good night, Luke... an' thank ya."

"Ain't nothin, Bo. G'night."

there you have it. next chapter is set like two hours after this one.