Luke nodded a little, feeling a little bad that he was leaving everything to Bo. He knew his cousin was reminding him of how different things were without him...how much he was needed. Yet he was scared to go back...scared he would mess everything up again. Despite his progress, he still had some fears to overcome.

"Ah well, it'll all come together..." Bo said with a smile when Luke have no verbal response to what he was saying. Just that let him know that again he would be leaving alone, and so he could move past the subject.

Sara smiled sympathetically, but out of sight of Luke, at Bo. She could tell what Bo was asking without actually asking and knew how lonley it must be getting for him.

"I'm sorry Bo..." began Luke softly. "I know I sure ain't made things easier for any of ya." He truly felt bad about it, but at the same time he was trying hard not to let those feelings of guilt overtake him like before.

"Hey its alright...like I said all the way through...we all got burdens t'bear and the like...sometimes you just need t'unload and your unloadin's been comin for a long time..."

Bo reasoned back gently, he didnt blame Luke at all and that was obvious.

An overwhelming urge to give Bo a hug on the spot came over him. Crossing to his cousin, despite the fact that Sara was in the room, he wrapped his arms around him and gave a tight squeeze. "I'm so thankful for you...you know that right?"

If all of this treatment had done nothing else, the freedom with which Luke offered affection was miraculous in and of itself. It was like a part of him that had been dead, was awakened again.

Bo was a little suprised at the public display of affection but readily returned the hug, smiling a little.

"Same here brother..."

Sara watched the two with a smile from where she had been sitting next to Luke. She knew it wouldn't be long before Luke would be going home. He may still have his doubts, may still be scared but there wasn't much more she could do to help him...Luke was answering his own doubts and fears now, Sara really just sat there and listened to him reasoning himself out. Luke may think that he needed her, but he didn't...and in all honesty she would be sad to see him go when the time came. She had never really connected with a patient as much as she had Luke before, and while she knew it was kind of unprofessional to get emotionally involved, she couldn't help it. That was the kind of person that Luke had needed her to be, and so she had been.

Luke just nodded, clinging to him still, as if to make sure that Bo really still was his best friend.

"Don't worry, ok?" he asked Bo softly. He knew that as tender hearted as Bo was he probably had been spending some nights fretting. "I think I'll be home soon..." He didn't ask Sara if it was true. He really was scared to think about it. But he knew he couldnt stay here forever.

Bo swallowed gently, nodding softly.

"You take as much time as you need cousin...I dont want ya comin home fore ya think yer ready...when yer ready you do it because ya are, not because you think its the right thing t'do..."

He replied, rubbing Luke's back a little.

Luke again didn't answer. Words had never been necessary with Bo and he knew now that Bo understood him without saying a word.

Bo continued to just hold onto Luke, missing this closeness with the cousin who had grown to be more like a brother to him. Now there Uncle was gone, Luke was the only one he had to look up to really, and he felt slightly lost without him around. Daisy had helped him work out a schedule for the farm, what needed doing when...but it just wasn't the same without someone there to do it with him.

"I miss you Bo," admitted the dark-haired Duke softly.

Bo nodded softly.

"I miss you too Luke..."

Eventually Luke let go, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, sitting again beside Sara. He wanted so badly to feel just great about everything and, week after week when he saw the disappointment in Bo's eyes, it was just too much.

"M'sorry it's takin so long"

"Luke...please...it's fine. Sure I miss ya, sure I wish you could come back...but what good is it gonna do if you come back before your ready ta? I wont really have you back will I?"

He said gently.

Luke nodded unable to argue with Bo's reasoning. "Guess youre right cousin."

Bo nodded, stepping forward and putting a hand on Luke's shoulder, giving him a supportive squeeze.

"I'd rather have my Luke back than half of him..."

Luke reached up putting his hand over Bo's looking him in the eye. It never ceased to amaze him how with less than ten words Bo could bring tears to his eyes, but he had done it again with that remark, so much so Luke had to swallow to keep them at bay.

Bo nodded to him gently, smiling a little more.

Luke swallowed hard. "Sara..."

Sara looked to him with a small nod.

"Yeah?"

Luke swallowed looking between her and Bo. "What'll happen when I go home?"

He missed Bo so much...especially at night when he was alone in his room. And now, the look in Bo's eyes melted his heart.

Sara smiled softly.

"Well...i'd keep checkin up on ya for the first few weeks, make sure the transaction back home is smooth and things...but apart from that you'd basically be free t'get back t'yer life...you'd always have my number in case you needed anything...but yeah.."

Luke swallowed, clenching his hands in front of him turmoil clear on his face. He wanted to go home...but then again he didnt.

"You dont have to do anything you dont wanna Luke...its ok..." She reassured softly.

He turned looking again to Bo. No matter what Bo said, it wasn't fair that he be handling the farm, doing the work of everyone. Luke was the reason for this. It wasn't fair to him... and for that reason he needed to go back.

He missed the brotherly banter during choretime. He longed for the nightly gossip of girls, fixing cars together,Saturday Morning fishing trips when there was no hangover to content with and comforting each other with coffee and each other's familiar presence when there was. He missed the farm itself; the sunrise over the hill that woke him every morning along with the rooster; sitting on the front porch whittling the day away. For those reasons he wanted to go back...

He was scared to be on his own. For that reason, he couldn't go back.