DaisyMaeDuke

Daisy sighed and began to do the dishes that lay waiting in the sink. Truth was, she was very behind on her chores, having spent so much time with her uncle. She was worried about both her cousins. Bo never did function well on his own, and now it seemed to her that Bo was kidding himself about how he was feeling...a trick he must have copied from Luke. She quickly finished the dishes and followed Bo out, determined to not let him get away with it.

"I don't understand him... I mean...we ain't none of us taking this great but...why's he doing this Bo?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

Daisy nodded taking small sips. "You know, it always helped before, but I recon even Uncle Jesse's finest can't help much now."

Daisy sighed but nodded, her eyes looking towards the boys' room. "There enough shine for me too?"

Daisy was upset, beyond words, but seeing that Bo didn't want to press the issue, she followed him out. "You gonna go see Uncle Jesse?"

"We're all upset! We're all depressed! Why's he takin' it this far?! He's so...so..." She let out a frustrated growl. "He aint thinkin of no one but himself!"

"Widow's Peak...you mean he...he was...?!" her voice raising in pitch. "How could he do that?! I got half a mind to go and tell him what I think of him!" yelled Daisy, hands on her hips.

"Bo?" asked Daisy coming over to where Bo sat huddled in the hall. "Honey...what's going on...what's wrong?!" she asked the fear evident in her voice.

mystery

Yeah...poor boys. Bo is a bad influence on me. Blame Bo.

Tears ran continually down Luke's face as Bo pulled off his boots and helped him change. Luke felt like a baby, a helpless baby that did nothing but cry all day. He was ashamed of himself, and he knew in his heart that Bo was too. Luke was the big brother, the one in charge when Jesse was away. Soon, he would be the...patriarch. The very thought of it made him sick to his stomach. Sure it was true that he and Bo both could run a farm in his uncle's absence. Luke knew all about what crops to plant when, what to do in case of an uncommon Georgia frost, and about when to sell the produce and when to store it. He knew all the book-learning about crop rotation and he knew how to make a 30 year old tractor stay running for another decade. He didn't know how to hold his family together, not when piece by piece he was falling apart. Luke thought all of these things in a matter of seconds. He thought about death and wondered if it was the enemy he had always thought it to be. Maybe it was a friend...a misunderstood friend. After all, death would surely take the pain away he was feeling. He would have no more worries, no more tears...no more Bo and Daisy. He sighed heavily growing sleepier as the pills began to take effect. His eyes gradually closed against his warm tears. He wasn't cold, but he shivered nonetheless.

And Luke was injured- not physically but emotionally broken. He didn't move as Bo forced him to swallow, still staring blankly at his hands, tears welling up in his eyes once more. Luke Duke had never been one to shed tears. In fact, he had always told Bo that he couldnt stand to see a grown man cry. It stood then, to reason, why he could no longer stand himself. Cry was all he ever did anymore. Daisy's lip quivered. Something was wrong- very very wrong.

Luke simply looked down at his hand, at the two pills, not movng to take them however. Daisy bit her lip, watching, not sure what was going on, not sure she wanted to know.

milk

Mickey Mouse

Mary Kaye's Baby Return of the Ridge Raiders Cool Hands Luke & Bo

Hollywood

Bear

Daisy swallowed but nodded. "Uh, yeah...sure." Quickly she went to the cabinet getting out two sleeping pills from the bottle and then went and filled a glass with cold water, handing them to Bo. "Here ya go sugar," she said eyeing Luke worriedly. Luke just stared at the floor every so often wiping at his eyes.

Daisy came out of her room sleepily, hearing Bo call her name. "You're up early..." She looked between the two cousins and frowned. "What's wrong..." she asked worried it might be their uncle.

Luke walked along beside him miserably, no longer fighting to go back, but walking more to please Bo than for any other reason. Tears dripped down his cheeks and he wiped them on his sleeve. He realized he must look like such a sissy to his younger cousin, and the thought of that just made him sadder still.

Luke said nothing more, knowing he wasn't going to get his way this time. Normally when Luke walked down the path, he noticed everything: the type of bird singing blithely in the trees, a flower to be picked later and given to Daisy to make her smile, a stone that looked undeniably like a turtle... Today though, Luke didn't notice anything. The tears welling in his eyes blinded him.

"I don't wanna! Can't you see?! I don't wanna go back there!" insisted Luke, trying to free himself, but weak from the heaves and crying not able to.

"I don't wanna go home! I don't wanna sleep!" He sounded like a spoiled child and he knew it, even as he tried to pull his arm away.

Luke felt awful. The pain and guilt of what happened plagued his mind, and the thought that now Bo was out here with Luke, when Luke should have been able to care for himself made him feel worse, if that were possible. He didn't want to think anymore. He didn't want to think about that day when they saw him collapse, about the fear on Bo's face, about how he had froze literally scared stiff-something the Marines had trained him to never be. He didn't want to think of any of it. In fact, all he wanted to do was to wake up from his life that had become a nightmare.