DaisyMaeDuke

Luke swallowed hard, biting his lip before quietly moving over to him. "Hi there," he offered quietly.

Luke bit his lip having a feeling the reason for no reply wasn't that he was napping. He shifted nervously on his feet as she knocked again.

Luke shook his head, not one to give up before he tried. "No...no that's ok...can...can I go meet him?"

Luke nodded understandingly. "What...what if he don't like me?" He felt pretty stupid asking the questions he was asking, but truth be told he had thought the help needed would be something like painting a room, or mending some toys...not befriend a child.

"Poor little guy..." said Luke softly. "What d'ya want me to do exactly?"

Luke swallowed. "One in particular?"

Luke rubbed his neck nervously. "So uh...what do ya need help with?" asked Luke, looking around the room he was led to. Adorning the walls were pictures of children, some smiling happily with adoptive parents, others on the wall by themselves or with sibling, obviously still waiting for a family to come along.

Luke nodded. "Thank ya," he said before following her in shutting the door behind him.

"Uh...um...yeah...my name's Luke Duke..." He handed her the flier from his pocket. "I'm here t'help if ya need me."

Luke swallowed hard, standing a little straighter waiting for her to answer the door.

It didn't take long before Luke pulled up in his uncle's old weather-beaten truck to the orphanage, turning off the engine and stepping out. The large brick building loomed in front of him, a bit intimidatingly...especially as the sound of children's voices reached his ears as they played. Quietly he knocked on the door, his palm sweaty as he pounded the door with the old-fashioned knocker.

"Kay.." he answered. "See you later." With that he quickly left the house, a little embarrassed by his actions and anxious to go.

"Oh...right...guess that's a bit too early huh?" said Luke softly.

"I supose,"he said quietly. "I'm pretty tired...think I'm gonna go t' bed early."

Luke eventually pulled away as Jesse knew he would. "I'm sorry," he muttered, running a hand through his hair until his untamable curls stood every which way. "Dunno what's wrong with me lately..."

Luke sighed softly as he felt his uncle's hand resting against his own dark curls. He couldn't remember the last time he had allowed his uncle to hold him. Very likely it was before Nam...before he lost tear ducts in boot camp...before he left the farm a boy and came back a man. Sometimes, he wished he was still the naive farm boy he had been....back when he had a family...back when he wasn't alone.

Luke's head screamed at him to back away...to be the adult he knew he was. But a part of him simply longed for the love and affection and leaving his uncle's hold was more than he could do. "I hope so," he managed softly.

Luke sighed softly. He wanted to believe that. But hadn't Jesse always said the chance for him and Bo havin' a family ranked right up there with hogs producing beef? How then could he believe it?

Luke swallowed hard much ashamed at how near to tears he was. He went into his uncle's arms however hugging him softly thankful Bo and Daisy were nowhere nearby.

Luke looked at him his lip threatening to tremble."I...I miss this," he said showing Jesse a family picture taken when the boys were little and Lavinia was still with them.

"Uncle Jesse I... I...I'm lonely," said Luke shame in his voice.

Luke eventually made his way inside once more taking a few albums looking at the family pictures. He thought long and hard about what he was seeing in the pictures before saying softly, "Uncle Jesse?"

Daisy smiled with a nod. "Ok, just let me get my bag..." Quickly she went inside, grabbing her bag before returning to Bo and the General, climbing in. "Let's go."

"I know," said Daisy softly. Luke meanwhile continued to sit in the barn, once more lost in thought.

"Yeah," said Daisy softly. Luke wiped a stray tear that trickled down his face, with a gentle sigh.