Troy's peaked face looked very pale next to his brown bear. His arm moved slightly his thumb going to his mouth and sucking it gently.

Bo stepped forward quietly and looked Troy over, hating that he looked so ill when he had previously seen him so bright and healthy looking. He didn't know what was wrong with Troy but he hated to see anybody as ill as he looked.

Troy moaned a little behind his thumb before opening his eyes. They lit up immediately seeing Bo.

Bo swallowed but smile softly when he saw Troy, reaching over and running a hand through his hair softly.

"Hey there kiddo..."

This time Troy didn't latch on. he just stayed higging his bear, thumb still in his mouth watching him.

Bo sighed and continued looking down at him.

"Look...i'm sorry I didn't come sooner kiddo...I just...my Uncle Jesse ain't very well..."

Troy frowned a little at that, his lip quivering. He could tell from Bo's voice that this made him sad. "Does....does he hafta get pricked like me?" asked Troy in a low voice as he rubbed his arm as if feeling the last prick again.

Bo nodded a little.

"Yeah he does...but...he dont mind it so much...he knows it only lasts a couple of seconds if he's good then its all over..."

Troy nodded a little hugging his bear close to him.

"I wondered...if...if the doc's said yes...if you'd come down and meet him...he's like to see you..."

Bo asked gently.

"Is...is it far?" asked Troy. He wanted to go anywhere with Bo, but the fact was he felt very tired and right now a long walk was not very appealing.

"Not too far...but if your still tired I can carry ya down there..."

Bo reasoned, really wanting Troy to see Jesse before anything bad happened to either or both of them. He needed to know what to do.

"Ok," he said. "Bo? Do you...do you think he'll like me?"

"I'm sure he'll love ya Troy..."

Bo said confidently though even he wasn't sure really, before he told Troy to wait while he talked it out with the doctors, both Troy's and Jesse's. After getting the all clear, he helped Troy out of bed and into his arms, carrying him down to Jesse's room.

Troy laid his head against Bo's chest and closed his eyes his bear hanging from his hand by the arm. He loved the feeling of being held by Bo and wanted to make it last as long as it could.

Bo held him as close as he dared, wishing Troy wasn't so attatched to him as he walked into Jesse's room quietly and said softly.

"Uncle Jesse...this is Troy...Troy...Uncle Jesse..."

He crossed to the bed and sat down on the chair with Troy in his lap.

Jesse looked over at the youngster his face startled at how much he looked like Bo at that age. "Troy...." he said reahing out a hand to his.

Troy looked over at him and swallowed before taking his hand in greeting.

Bo watched the exchange, noting Jesse's startled expression and knowing also why it was there.

"Troy don't like havin' injections Uncle Jesse..."

Jesse gave Bo another startled look before looking to Troy. "Bo..never...liked em...either..."

Troy looked up at Bo before looking back to Jesse. "They prick me a lot...look..." With that Troy showed the underside of his thin arm. It almost looked like he had the chicken pox, so full of red marks it was.

Jesse sighed. "You're a ...brave boy..."

Bo nodded softly, gently pulling Troy's arm back in. He didn't like to see that anymore than he liked to see the needle actually there making the mark.

"He ain't afraid of them though...he just dont like em do ya Troy..."

"No," answered Troy. "I don't like the pokes...an I don't like how they smile when they poke me an act all nice...if they was nice, they wouldn't poke me...but they ain't nice and they do."

Jesse laughed a little. "Well now...who 's yer friend?" he asked looking at the bear in Troy's arms.

"S'my bear. His name is George. Wanna hold him?" asked Troy handing his beloved bear to Jesse.

Jesse took the bear and softly turned it in his hand. "An...an what's this round George's neck?" he asked fingering a gold locket which hung from a chain.

"Was Mama's" said Troy with a sniff. "Daddy gave it to her for her birthday...it's got letters on it too....BD...DB...see?"

Bo near fell out of his chair when he saw the locket, glad that he had put Troy on the bed before when Troy had been stretching over to hand Uncle Jesse his Teddy. There had only been one girl with those initials...and one girl he had given that locket too...

Jesse swallowed hard recognizing the initials. "An' this was your mama's ya say?"

"Yeah... I...I was cryin' real hard when she broughted me here...an' she gived it to me to play with...it opens up...see?" With that he opened the locket displaying an empty heart. "There used t be a picture of Daddy in there, but once she caught me looking at it and I never saw it again...an...I dont remember him now, " he added sadly.

Bo's hands were trembling a little as he stood up, crossing to the window in an effort to replace the air that had been knocked out of him at the revelation.

"Well now...a big handsome boy like you...I bet your daddy'd...be real proud..." said Jesse softly.

"I don't think so..." he said with an injured sniff.