BoJamesDuke

True to his word, Luke never left Bo's side over the days that he spent in the hospital. He did however go to the waiting room occasionally to have short naps while the Doc's did the necessary tests on Bo.... At the end of about his first week in hospital, Luke returned to the room to find Bo sitting up and awake. Bo smiled softly and said gently, words no longer as badly slurred and the glazed look in his eyes gone. "Hey Luke..."

As Bo slept, Daisy softly sat beside the boys, resting her head on Luke's shoulder and laying one hand gently over Bo's clenched one as Jesse too came in to join in the family hug, slipping his arm around both Daisy and Luke and holding all three of his children close.

Eventually, Bo fell asleep safe and secure in Luke's arms, snuggled tight into him, his hand not relaxing one iota as they remained firmly entwined in the blue plaid he had always known.

Bo whimpered softly, snuggling his head more into Luke's chest, not really having that much control over his body as the medication dulled everything and made him feel sluggish and heavy. He trembled softly in Luke's arms, fighting back every urge in his body to scream and yell in anger and emotional pain.

Bo nodded underneath Luke's hand, swallowing as he twisted his hands tighter in Luke's shirt and huddled more into him, squeezing his eyes shut as he slurred out. "Hur's....wann'go'hom.....fee'sick...."

Bo nodded and twisted his body slightly to face Luke, but cried out a little as his ribs flared with a small spike of pain that the pain medication couldn't dull so quickly and quickly resumed his original position in Jesse's arms, but whimpered and quietly asked, words slurring, if Luke would hold him and keep him safe. Daisy bit her lip as she heard the quiet but desperate plea, so familiar from Bo's younger days when Luke had gone off to 'Nam....he had cried nearly every night for two weeks after Luke had departed, begging to the air for Luke to come back and hold him, to protect him instead of his country and she was sure if Luke had heard that he would have come running back without a moment's hesitation. Looking to Jesse, she oculd see he was thinking of that too....luckily Luke didn't know, they hadn't told him because he would blame himself and that was the last thing they needed, for that all to be dragged up again.

Bo sniffed and pulled slightly away from Jesse, looking to all three members of his family desperatly, his voice still heavily slurred but his eyes looking a little clearer, even if he face was still very pale and his whole body had taken on a case of the shakes. "Pl'dun'go....pleas....sta'wi'me..."

Daisy could only watch as her younger cousin finally broke down from his ordeal, rubbing his back gently as she glanced to Luke, smiling sadly but supportivly. Eventually Bo calmed down and sat more hiccuping in his Uncle's arms.

Bo sobbed gently in Jesse's hold, feeling a dull ache start in his ribs but not caring as he snuggled more into Jesse hold and Luke's hand on his shoulder, squeezing Daisy's hand back as she crossed over and took it softly.

It wasn't too long after the call that Luke, Daisy and Jesse showed up, Luke looking much better than he had been when he left and so did Daisy as they rushed into the room. Bo opened his eyes as he heard the commotion and swallowed, crying out softly as he saw his Uncle, reaching out his arms to him and crying softly as he was wrapped once more in his Uncle's safe embrace, being rocked gently and soothed with soft words and gentle strokes of his hair.

Bo sighed and closed his eyes again, groaning softly as he felt sick again but trying to supress it. While he really couldn't feel anything, his ribs still hurt a little when he was throwing up.

Bo sighed and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Luke ba'yet?"

Bo blinked and tried to make the words in his head make sense so he could convey them to his friends, coughing slightly as he said, his voice raspy and slurred. no'goo'....fee'sick....an'...stiff....

Bo cocntinued to retch until what little had been in his stomach in the first place had been completly emptied from his stomach and Cooter guided him back to rest against his pillows, looking about as pale as them.

Bo groaned as his body felt stiff as he was sat up, but all that was instantly forgotten as a wave of pure sickness took over his thoughts and he vomited into the trash can Cooter held for him, trembling as it happened.

Bo groaned gently as B.L. and Cooter started to talk to him, blinking to try and clear the immovable haze from his head before rolling his head to look at Cooter, saying slurred and desperatly. "Fee'sick..."

A couple of hours after the remaining Duke family left, Bo started to stir once more and slowly blink open his eyes, raising his hand up to rub at them carefully, thankfully not noticing the IV's that ran from the back of his hand giving him more blood and the painkillers that were keeping him so drowzy and light headed. Glacning over as he heard soft voices speaking to him, his breath hitched in his throat as he found B.L. and Cooter instead of Daisy and Luke. Breathing slightly quicker and trying to push himself out, he struggled out a slurred sentence. "Wh'...where'sLuke....Daisy...."

Jesse left him for a moment and quickly rounded up Daisy, thanking B.L. and Cooter and giving them strict orders to call them if anything happened before leading his kids out the hospital and to the truck, Daisy silent as she huddles gently into Luke

Jesse nodded and gently helped Luke up "I know, but i'm taking Daisy too. B.L. and Cooter have said they can take a watch with Bo and when we come back they'll go home and get some rest so Bo is never left alone. He'll be just fine Luke and feel a lot better knowing your taking care of yourself i'm sure

Jesse shook his head and put on his No nonsence voice that all of his kids knew better than to mess with. Luke...Bo can ask and we will tell him that you have gone home to get the rest you need. He will understand because he would tell you to do it if he could see the way yer eyel;ids are droopin' at every minute....yer comin' home fer a spell Luke an' ya can come back later.

Jesse wrapped his arm around Luke's shoulders, holding him close and resting his head on top of Luke's careful of the bump. "Perhaps I should take ya home fer a spell Luke...ya need to rest up yerself."

Jesse smiled gently as he saw the realization and the haze of guilt clearing from Luke's eyes. "Exactly...you did good Luke....and now Bo can come home and recover as soon as the doc's say so. Without you, he would be coming home in a wooden box and being put next to his mama and papa."

Jesse shook his head gently and pulled him closer. "Luke...who's to say that he wouldn't have beat you up that bad in front of Bo and hurt him mentally that way instead when he was helpless to help you....or done it the other way around? Way I see it, you got Bo away from him before he could do anymore damage and Bo is gonna be just fine."

Jesse nodded as he listened, taking everything in before watching as Luke rested his head back and closed his eyes, speaking slowly and quietly, knowing the signs that his head was hurting. "Okay....but that still don't make it your fault Luke. You weren't escapin' fer yer own selfish reasons and it weren't like you didn't try and get Bo out. With concussions, all it would have taken was to hit one of ya over the head and turn it serious and he would have had the upper hand over ya both. By gettin' help, ya gave Bo a fightin' chance, somethin' ta believe in and he knows once he has that he don't need nothin' else 'cause he knows yer gonna come back and get him. You ain't never let him down before and ya ain't let him down now."

Jesse gently guided Luke outside to sit down against the wall, placing an arm around his shoulders. "YOu did the right thing Luke....if you had been caught escaping they probably would have beaten you up just as bad and Bo worse..."