When Friends Ain't Friends...

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke looks down at his hand flexing his fingers looking back at Jesse.

"yes sir, it's ok though just a few stitches, some bruises and a bump on the head."

*smiles slightly*

"I got the Duke hard head so there's no major damage"

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse smiled gently back and nodded, reaching up to ruffle the dark locks.

"Don't we know it...I spoke to the Doc's....they said that Bo's gonna be just fine."

[B.L. Davenport]

"Yeah they told us the same thing. It's just gonna take some time and he'd be sore for a while."

Luke smiled fondly without even pulling away from the gesture of affection.

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse nodded, releasing Daisy as she felt a little better and moved away to let him have his time with Luke.

"Yeah...but I wanted to talk to you...about this whole thing...and I want you to know, that no matter what you think and Bo will agree when he's in his right mind, that in no way was any of this your fault."

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke sighed a part of him knew it wasn't but another part of him still blamed himself for leaving Bo alone with the guy.

"I know I guess, but he wouldn't have got beat up so bad if I hadn't left him alone. I shoulda tried to free him and take him with me."

[BoJamesDuke]

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..."

[B.L. Davenport]

Propping his now pounding head in his hands Luke shook it before explaining.

"There was only one between the two of us we could have easily over powered him. I'd already got loose when he came to check on us and was hidin' behind the door. That's when I made my escape. He shot at me but I kept goin' and then I could hear him screamin' at me I'd better come back or Bo was a dead man. All the while Bo tellin' me ta keep going, get help so I lay low in the woods till it was safe ta move. Walked home and saw Daisy, an' B.L. goin' down the road they saw me and stopped,then they's both came runnin' across the field ta meet me half way told 'em what happened we's waited for Cooter then took off to find Bo. The guy was movin' him when we got there but we managed to keep up and stop him but he'd already beat Bo up pretty bad."

Luke finished leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

[BoJamesDuke]

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."

[B.L. Davenport]

"I guess....but Uncle Jesse he's hurt so much worse now than when I left and it's cos I left that he was hurt more."

Luke said despondantly he just couldn't completely dismiss that he could have done something to spare Bo all that pain.

[BoJamesDuke]

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."

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke pulls back looking Jesse in the eye.

"I guess ya right....and that woulda been so much worse for Bo ta see me bein' hurt and not able ta do nothin about it. I'm not sure that kinda hurt would heal at least physical hurts will."

He agreed having not thought of things in that prospective. Relieved that it hadn't come to that for either of them because he didn't know if he himself could have recovered from the mental hurt caused by watching Bo be hurt anymore than Bo could if it'd happened the other way around.

[BoJamesDuke]

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."

[B.L. Davenport]

"Yeah...I'm glad I was able ta help him that much even if I couldn't totally protect him"

He said leaning his head on Jesse's shoulder not usually one for public displays of affection especially never instigating them but this felt good and he didn't care who saw.

[BoJamesDuke]

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."

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke sits up shaking his head winces instantly regretting it

"No! I ain't leavin' till Bo can go home. If he wakes up and I ain't around he's gonna want to know why. I can rest just fine here till he's ready to go home which shouldn't be more than a coupla days."

His jaw set stubbornly as he spoke.

[BoJamesDuke]

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.

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke nods begrudgingly he didn't want to go home but he knew better than to argue with Jesse too.

"Ok I'll go home for a while but I don't have to like it"

He said somewhat irritably he was worried, tired and his hand hurt all of it put together made him irritable.

[BoJamesDuke]

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

[B.L. Davenport]

Luke nodded and let Jesse help him to his feet. He still thought it would be better if he was with Bo but knowing Cooter and B.L. were gonna be there when the family wasn't helped a little.

[BoJamesDuke]

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

[B.L. Davenport]

B.L. and Cooter gave their reassurances that if anything should change good or bad they would call immediately. B.L. giving Daisy a quick hug and Uncle Jesse a peck on the cheek before they all left leaving the two Davneport cousin's watching over the youngest Duke.

[BoJamesDuke]

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...."

[B.L. Davenport]

B.L. and Cooter jump slightly as Bo speaks not having expected to hear anything in the silent room. B.L. crosses over to the bed looking down at Bo smiling as she pushed hair from his forehead.

"Uncle Jesse took 'em home to rest for a spell, Luke was plumb wore out with all the excitement. So yer stuck with my pretty face and his ugly mugg for now *points at Cooter with a sassy grin as he's giving her a playful scowl* How ya feelin'?"

Cooter steps up the other side of the bed speaking softly.

"Hey buddyroe"

[BoJamesDuke]

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..."

[B.L. Davenport]

Cooter picks up the trashcan next to the bed while supporting Bo with the other arm.

"Just get it out ya'll feel better then Bo."

B.L. watched worriedly as Bo became ill from the pain medication. She had forgotten just how sick the stuff made the youngest Duke cousin.