Luke looked down, shaking his head. "I ain't wantin' t see anybody really," he admitted softly.

\"I know...s\'why I dont tell em..\" She said softly in return, starting to think maybe it was a bad decision to stay already.

Luke shook his head, continuing. "You...Bo...that's all I want right now...I just...want my family," he added softly.

Daisy nodded a little, reaching out and taking his hands softly.

"We're here Luke...me an' Bo...and we're not yer only family either...you got Coy and Vance and Jeb...yer brother Judd...we could contact any of em and they'd be here within 24 hours ya know that...Jeb Stuart already offered t'come down and help take care of the farm but Bo said no...I might have t'call him back anyway and see if he'll still come..."

Luke shook his head slightly. It was true that they were all family, but it wasn't the same. Coy, Vance, Jeb Stuart...he loved all of his cousins, but Bo and Daisy were different. They were more like siblings.

It was ironic that she mentioned Judd. After he had gone back to California, the two stayed in touch, but it wasn't going to ever be a real brotherly relationship between the two. They had two different lives and though they were alike in many ways, their relationship with one another was more friendship than family. It was true he would come up, true that he cared about his older brother, but Judd had his own life and truthfully, Luke have the trust built up in him like he did Daisy and Bo. It was hard to build trust through a bi-monthly phone call. Besides, he already had a brother.

He gave Daisy's hands a squeeze as he thought through all this.

Daisy smiled softly and have a gentle squeeze back, practically being able to see the wheels in Luke's heard turning for the first time in months. He was beginning to look like his old self again and while she knew it could be a long while yet before he was truly better...at least he was definitly making progress.

Luke laid against his pillows. "I...I missed you Daisy," he admitted as he lay down.

"Me?" She asked a little surprised...of everyone she thought that it would mainly be Bo he missed. She kinda just stayed in the background for most things, it was always Bo and Luke more than anything else...she didn't mind though, it just made the times that they all spent together or the time she spent with one of the boys that much more special.

Luke nodded slightly the pillow shifting with him. "Miss...ya both..."

Daisy nodded a little.

"Well...i'll try and be here as much as I can but...I dont want to interrupt what yer doing here ya know..."

Luke nodded a little. "J-just Bo...watch over Bo."

"I try Luke...but he is a grown man...he does what he wants regardless of what I tell him...its like..never mind..." She broke off as she was about to go into detail about what Bo had been acting like, but she quicly realized that at that moment in time that was not what Luke needed to hear.

Luke looked at her trying so hard to be the attentive older brother she remembered. He sensed she didn't want to continue and just nodded slightly.

Daisy sighed and squeezed his hands again softly, just liking the feel of having him giving her a little source of comfort again. She had yet to find anyone who matched her older cousins strong protective arms...anytime she had felt scared or unsafe...it had always been Luke's arms she turned to to protect her...because she knew he would...it was strange feeling so insecure around him now.

Luke could almost feel her uneasiness in the touch of her fingertips. The overwhelming feeling of failure swept over him, but he did his best to dismiss it, as Sara had been teaching him.

It seemed to Luke that the longer Daisy sat with him, the more uncomfortable she was getting. He wanted to fix it...fix everything, like old times, but he couldn't even fix himself.

Everything was a mess now. Their uncle was gone, Bo was hurt, Daisy was just plain uneasy. He could feel the lump forming in his throat, but said nothing. The last thing Daisy needed right now was to see him cry-it might relieve the many emotions inside, but it wouldn't do anything for Daisy but make her feel that her once so strong cousin was now a stranger to her.

No...he would save the tears til he was alone.

Daisy had to fight back the urge to just cling to her older cousins hands. She didn't want to go home tonight though she knew she had no choice...she didn't want to leave the only people that were her family now.

Luke clung to her hands instead. He felt like everything was falling apart. "If...if you don't wanna...g-go home...maybe they can find you a bed to rest in," offered Luke, trying his best to be the thoughtful caring cousin she remembered.

Looking up at him, she swallowed softly.

"I suppose I could but...I dont know....the farm needs t'be taken care of and...Uncle Jesse's...funeral and everything still needs t'be arranged..."

Luke swallowed hard clinging to her hand. He was afraid...afraid if he let go, she too would soon disappear.

As Luke squeezed her hands a little tighter, she bit her lip softly...she could see the fright hidden in his blue eyes and knew what he was thinking...sometimes it was something she thought about too...which one of their family members would be next...but then she had always talked to Uncle Jesse about it and could run through the conversations they'd had together many a time to soothe her. Shaking her head a little she stood up and leaned over, hugging him tightly.

Tears started rolling down his cheeks once more as he felt Daisy's embrace around him. Reaching out, he hugged her too, for once not guarding his emotions, allowing the fears he'd kept hidden so long to surface. "Don't leave Daisy...don't..."

Daisy shook her head, rubbing his back softly.

"I wont Luke...I wont.."

Luke just held her in place a long while, not noticing the time, just revelling in the hug.

Daisy eventually sat on the edge of the bed, not breaking the hug, enjoying feeling Luke's caring, big brotherly hug again.

"I'm sorry...I'm so much trouble Daisy...I...I never...I didn't mean to..."