Picking Up the Pieces

[BoJamesDuke]

It was a long time before the doctor finally came out to see Jesse and Daisy, saying with a small smile though everyone knew the situation was grim and the outlook bleak at the moment,

"You can go in and see him now...I am going to have to put a time restriction on when he has visitors though because of the amount of monitoring the nurses need to do...he can have visitors for two hours...then you have to leave..."

[runningwild]

Daisy instantaneously asked, "Do you want me to go get Luke?"

Jesse shook his head, "There's two hours let him spend a little more time with Cassie. I plan on visiting her soon because the doctor hasn't put no limits on her hours. Right now, let's just go in and see how Bo's doing."

Slowly, he walked into the room and approached the bed. Bo was a sight and with everything he was hooked up to he looked rather pitiful. Uncle Jesse offered Bo a smile, "You alright, Son?"

Daisy wanted to hug him, but knew that she couldn't.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo of course didn't answer, laying out cold and hooked to a ventilator that breathed for him, pale and looking completly lifeless. Wires and tubes trailed from all over his body to machines that surrounded him and his bed.

Daisy shook her head softly, biting her lip as she hugged into Jesse instead of holding Bo close to her like she wanted to, unable to speak.

[runningwild]

Jesse tried to comfort Daisy as best as he could. Whether or not Bo was alert enough to hear him, he was going to talk to his nephew anyway. He needed to know that they all loved him and had faith about the outcome of things.

"Ah, of course you are Bo you're a Duke afterall," Jesse's smile never faded. "We Dukes never give up and we always get through the tough spots."

Daisy squeezed Jesse a little harder and looked over at Bo, which made Jesse nod. "See we're here for you Bo. Luke's here just give him a minute to come in. He's still upset, but I know he wants to see ya."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo didn't make any move to show he had heard or was even able to hear them at all, laying just as he had been before, the only part of him moving being the forced rising and falling of his chest.

[runningwild]

Jesse sighed, "We're here Bo, we're here." He looked at Daisy, "Stay here with him. I'm gonna go see if Luke's up to seeing him."

Daisy just nodded, as Jesse left the room and headed down the hallway. Pausing once he got to Cassie's room, he knocked.

Luke and Cassie both looked up at the door and it was Cassie that answered, "Come in."

Cassie and Luke's relationship was nonexistent there was no relationship between them. There lustful love had died, but there was still love between them. It was the kind that didn't need to be expressed because it could easily be seen in the way they talk to one another that's all anyone had to see. All they needed was understanding, civil conversations to get them by. Luke didn't hate her, even though Cassie expected him to. He just knew that it wasn't going to do anybody any good to have hard feelings. Nobody else understood that and he didn't care.

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse stepped gently into the room, smiling a little at them both.

"Hey there...good t'see your doing well..."

He said with a nod to Cassie, before looking to Luke and saying softly.

"They're done with Bo...you can go see him but there's a restriction on the time yer allowed...we got two hours with him..."

[runningwild]

Cassie smiled, "Thank you Mr. Duke." Figuring that not saying a whole lot would spare her image, on that was already tainted.

Luke nodded, "I'll be right in there Uncle Jesse. Wouldn't want to waste too much of that time restraint." Looking over at Cassie, he paused for a moment, "I just wanted to make sure Cassie was doing fine. She saved my life you know."

His hand patted her leg in a friendly manner, "See Uncle Jesse I tried to tell ya'll that Cassie was still in there."

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse nodded gently.

"With all due respect t'the both of ya Luke...I ain't the one you've been tryin' to covince now is it...and regardless of whether or not ya both intended to do it...you both hurt Bo. In case you forgot Luke...Bo saved Cassie's life too in that cabin...he didn't have ta...but he knew she was important t'you and that's why he did it...regardless of what he says..."

He replied gently to Luke but intending for both of them to take the information on board.

[runningwild]

Cassie nodded and decided to speak before Luke had the chance. "I'm thankful for that everyday Mr. Duke. I owe Bo a lot and one thing which is an apology for my actions." She smiled, "I'm not too terrible."

Luke looked at his Uncle Jesse, "I know, Uncle Jesse. I know.. I just keep lettin' Bo down. He's in that bed because of me because I couldn't act quick enough to save him. I'll get it right, but first I want to go see him. Can't have him thinking that I'm abandoning him."

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse nodded softly, stepping out the way of the door.

"You do that son...I'm gonna go back to Hazzard and see what's happenin' with your life sentence...you were in Jail fer a reason...lets just hope they're reviewing everything..."

[runningwild]

"Thank you, Uncle Jesse. Why don't you take Daisy back with you. I'll stay here with Bo. She could probably use somethin' to eat and maybe you can talk her into bringing me a change of clothes and a razor." Luke had slowly gotten up from his spot on the bed.

Cassie shifted so that she could rest better, "Thank you for stoppin' by Mr. Duke. It was very kind of you."

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse nodded again, smiling a little to Cassie although it was clear he was still not keen on her.

"I will do son...you keep outta trouble you hear..."

[runningwild]

Luke nodded, "Not much trouble to be had in a respectable place such as this." Looking at Cassie he shook his head, "I am glad to see that you're doing okay, but I'm going to head over to see Bo."

Cassie sat up a little, "Yes, you should definitely head on over. Shoo!" A grin cracked on her lips and she giggled softly.

No, Luke did not fall in love with her all over again, but a little sadness that was left trapped in his heart had lifted upon witnessing Cassie's action. He had never worried too much about what had happened between them, but knew that now somehow it had been lost maybe never to be rekindled. Somehow, he was fine with that conclusion and figured what would be would.

"See you later, Cassie," Luke turned and headed for the door. But, before he made it there, he stopped.

"Did you forget somethinig?" Cassie looked puzzled.

Luke didn't turn around because he didn't want her to see the smile on his face. It was the kind of smile that revealed every emotion a person was feeling. "Thank you for saving me."

Cassie was overwhelmed with good feelings upon hearing that from Luke. "Hey, don't mention it. That's what people like us do, we go around saving people."

He knew what her personality was like and that was the answer that he expected. It was the perfect answer for him to hear and a good way to end their conversation. Luke headed out of her room and down the hall except he stopped right outside Bo's room. He needed to clear his head for a moment.

[BoJamesDuke]

Jesse sighed as he watched Luke from outside the room, shaking his head gently. Sometimes he wished that those boys wouldn't fall for the people that they did. They were good boys, both with very different personalities, but when it came to love they were both as wild and reckless with their hearts as each other and it near always resulted in them getting hurt.

Turning he left the hospital, hoping now that maybe things could get back to normal...praying that what the doctor was prediciting about Bo wasn't true and that finally Bo could move on with Luke and get thieir relationship back to how it was before.

[runningwild]

Luke took a deep breath, before he pushed open the door to Bo's room. Of course, the sound of beeping filled his ears because it was vital for Bo to have a heart monitor. Once he could ignore the beeping a soft hum flooded his ears. Taking a step forward, Luke headed over to Bo's bedside. However, he was still hesitant, but wanted to check Bo out with his own eyes. The younger Duke looked rough.

"Bo?" Luke knew he wouldn't respond, but he didn't care. "You look like you're doin' pretty good. You're gonna pull through this, then I think I'll take ya fishin'."

Luke had been through too much and he needed this kind of conversation with Bo.

"So, what do you think?" Luke half expected him to answer for a second, but ignored that thought shortly after conceiving it. Still he just wanted Bo to do something to let him know that he could hear him.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo however remained as still and as silent as before, no indication given that he was aware of his surroundings or the fact that anyone was with him.

[runningwild]

Luke nodded slowly to himself, "I'll even let you use my rod. My good rod not the one I've rigged for the past two years." He grinned to himself, "Remember that time I hooked a big one on that old thing, and you went to reel it in. That danged thing just snapped and you stumbled into the lake." A laugh escaped his lips, "You were so mad at me."

He paused and glanced over at Bo, "If only that was the most you'd ever be mad at me, Bo. I can't apologize anymore. I could say I'm sorry until I'm blue in the face, but you don't want that. You want the Luke you use to know back. I don't deserve anything no understanding or anything. I need to make it right. I need to make up for the past few years. Hell, I need to make up for the past few days."

Luke never expected Bo to answer because up until now he hadn't been able to say the right thing to Bo. All he ever wanted was for things to be the same. His vision for his life was so much different than this. For once, he thought that things would work out and that he would be happy. Not this.

[BoJamesDuke]

As before though, Bo remained pale and almost lifeless in between the hospital sheets. Whether or not he could hear Luke was a different matter, but he could give no indication that he could for the medication being pumped into him for the pain.

[runningwild]

Sighing, Luke made his way closer to Bo. The machines, the tubes, the everything that was giving Bo his chance to be well again sadden Luke unbearably. "I put you here Bo. If I hadn't been so smitten with her. My heart aches for her, but it aches even more seeing my cousin, my brother laying here like this."

He paused lightly lying his hand on Bo's head, "I'd gladly trade places with you. I'd do anything for it to be me laying in that bed instead of you. Pull through, pull through and I swear to God that I will make it up to you."

Rustling Bo's blonde locks, he took in a deep breath and turned to head out of the room.

[BoJamesDuke]

Somewhere, somehow in Bo's mind he could hear his older cousins words and he supposed that he was thankful he couldn't interrupt him. Had he been awake, he certainly wouldn't have let Luke in the room let alone say anything to him...but with his ability to be stubborn out the way he could hear Luke's words, feel the gentle hand on his head...that was the Luke he wanted...the Luke who did that for him when he was sick, the Luke who did stupid things like the fishing trip he mentioned...he was there, and suddenly Bo was afraid that if Luke walked out the door he wouldn't be back again. He knew Cassie had to be around someplace...where Luke was, Cassie wasn't usually far behind.

In truth, he was also frightened about being in this situation again...laying with a hole in his body that could eaisly kill him at any given moment. He knew something other was wrong with him that no one who sat with him would mention, even when he was supposed to be unconcious...but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He needed his strong older cousin by him for support and guidance as much as he did his Uncle, and so slowly he tried to force his hand to curl into a fist....except he couldn't feel his hand...that was what was wrong...he couldn't really feel any part of his body...

His breathing stayed the same behind the ventilator he didn't know he was on, but suddenly his blood pressure and heart rate started to race...setting of the alarms on the machines around him.

[runningwild]

As soon as the alarms went off on Bo's machines, an alarm went off in Luke's head; he panicked. "Help! Help! Nurse!" He yelled sprinting the few feet back to Bo's bed, "Bo! Bo! Hang in there Bo. Nurse!"

Suddenly, the hospital became frantic with Luke's hollering and the alarm ringing from Bo's bed. Nurses and a doctor pushed past Luke to get to Bo.

"Please Sir, we need you to move out of the way. Sir!" The nurse was stern and checked on Bo's vitals, as the other nurse and doctor became to work.

Luke shook his head, as he stepped back. "I ain't leaving this room. I won't leave my cousin."

Once she found a second to speak, the nurse responded, "Fine. Stay in the back and don't get in our way."

[BoJamesDuke]

It was such a weird feeling...feeling yourself breathing slowly but your heart racing and your blood pounding through your ears...pounding through a body you couldn't feel. He could hear Luke shouting something at the people who were around him - who he assumed to be doctors and nurses - but he couldn't make out the words being said. All he knew was that Luke was still there. He couldn't feel any hands on his body except when they moved near his head but he knew that the doctors had to be panicing about what was going on...in all truth he didn't know either. All he knew was that he needed Luke to stay, that suddenly he couldn't feel anything below his neck an he was fairly certain he was on some life support machines. He was stuck in a panic attack he couldn't tell anyone about...

[runningwild]

The doctors and nurses spoke to each other in a calm yet urgent tone for they knew just how serious the situation truly was. After trying to stabilize Bo, one of the doctors finally ordered a nurse to give him some medication to calm him down. With his heart beat and blood pressure sky rocketing, he needed to relax or he wouldn't be with them that much longer. The last thing that they needed was for the patient to have a heart attack.

Luke watched from behind the team of medical professionals trying to save his cousin. His mind raced, as he wondered whether they were going to save him in time. "What's going on?"

The same nurse that had been communicating with him answered, "We're giving him some medication to regulate his blood pressure. He should be fine, if he takes to the medicine well. He might be out for a little while." Not once did she miss a beat tending to Bo, as she answered Luke.

Nodding, Luke took a deep breath, "Bo! I'm here. You've got to pull through. You've got to." Tears had filled the older Duke's eyes, as he stared helplessly. There was nothing he could do, but wait a minute to see if indeed the medication helped. It had too.

[BoJamesDuke]

For a moment, it looked like the medication wasn't going to do anything...but slowly, gradually it started to as the heart monitor's beeps started to lower in number to a more normal level and the numbers on the machine monitoring his blood pressure slowly dropped.

It was like being given a sedative, though Bo didn't fully understand as he started to cease thinking as he was forced into sleep, exactly how he could be asleep physically but be awake mentally. He could do nothing but accept that fact however as he slipped further and further underneath the medication's influence and eventually the jumbles of noises and words became silent and he was plunged back into a quiet, black oblivion.