Bo sat down on the bed again, frowning a little.

"But I wanna take care o'Auntie...."

"I know Bo-Bo," answered Luke softly. "I do too...but...she's real sick...an'..." he swallowed hard. "Doc told Unca Jesse that God was the only one could help her now...."

"But how's he gonna help her? He ain't here t'give her cuddles an' bring her juice an' ice cream...an' kisses on da forehead an' stuffs..."

Bo replied back innocently, naming all the things their aunt would do for them when they were ill.

Luke swallowed hard running a hand through Bo's curls...the ones Lavinia would never cut. "No...I...I recon...t do that...she has t' go to him..."

The boys just thought Daisy was still asleep she was laying very still with her eyes closed listening to Luke and Bo talk. She had been awakened when Bo's voice had gotten higher and he'd shaken the bed in his haste to go check on their aunt. She listened to Luke and understood exactly what he was telling their baby cousin. She knew that it was a big possibility that when they went home Aunt Lavinia would not be there and that thought made a tear trickle from under her closed eyes and down her cheek.

Bo frowned deeply, shaking his head...he just couldn't grasp the concept that Luke was trying to teach him. No one had ever thought to teach him the concept of death, no one wanted to break the innocence that Luke and Daisy never seemed to be able to have.

"Well dat ain't nice, ain't nice t'make people come see you when yer sick! 'Sides, she dont need him, we'll go see her an' help her!"

"No Bo," explained Luke gently. "We...we can't fix her...s'like...s'like the little bunny we found...Uncle Jesse tried t' help it but...it was too sick...an...it just went t sleep...an didnt wake back up..."

"Wh...what..."

Bo stuttered out, looking up at him wide eyed.

Luke bit his lip, nodding a little. "But when she sleeps...she...she aint gonna be sick no more." He was trying hard to be brave and not cry but it was getting harder and harder.

Bo shook his head a little, his blonde curls bobbing as his eyes started to fill with childish tears.

"Yer lyin'...."

Luke swallowed hard. "I don't lie...'specially not to you," he added a little hurt that Bo would say that, but even at his young age, understanding why he did.

"She ain't gonna go t'sleep like my bunny rabbit! She pwomised dat she wouldn't!"

This indeed had been true, before Lavinia had gotten sick she had promised that she would never do that to Bo. What else could she tell the little boy, who was so distraught over the animal. She had been trying to explain that eventually all living creatures had to go to sleep that same way eventually....which had really only suceeded in making him panic more and asking if she, Luke, Jesse, Daisy...if everyone he knew and loved would do the same...just like his parents and the dang rabbit.

So Lavinia had been stuck in a position either to tell the truth and make him more upset - possibly causing a asthma attack in the process - or to lie until he was less upset and she had the chance to explain it to him properly. With one child already nervous about those closest to him leaving like his parents, shutting everyone else out to stop it happening, she wasn't prepaired to go through that again with Bo at such a tender age. So she had lied and made the fateful promise. Unfortunatly, she had never gotten round to doing it and had forgotten all about the promise she had made. Of course Bo's young mind didn't...

Daisy had been listening as Luke tried in vain to explain things to Bo, being two years older than the little blonde boy she understood well enough at least what Luke was trying to get through to their younger cousin. Sitting up at the other end of the bed she wiped her eyes and tried to be as brave as Luke was being and help him make Bo understand.

"Bo sometimes ya don't got a choice ya hafta go see God when he wants ya to just like all our Mama's and Daddy's did."

Luke swallowed hard at Daisy's words. He didn't want to think of his folks dying, like his aunt now was. It just stood as a constant reminder that one day Jesse would go too, and he would be alone.

He said none of this to Bo, however. "Bo, Auntie she...she didn't wanna make ya cry...she...she didn't know that God'd want her so soon."

For a long while, there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence in the room. Bo wasn't saying anything, just staring down at his small, chilidish hands and fiddling with the bedcover beneath them while his mind worked through what his cousins were trying to tell him. All he really understood though, was that there was now the possibility of going home and finding his auntie not there.

Swallowing hard, he scrambled off the bed and ran out the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him with as much strength as his little arms could muster.

Luke sighed looking down at the bed, tears welling in his eyes once more. Sometimes he hated being the oldest and this was one of those times.

Daisy crawled from under the covers at the bottom of the bed and over to Luke giving him a hug. He was always so strong for her and Bo and took real good care of them when Aunt Lavinia and Uncle Jesse couldn't like now.

Luke swallowed as Daisy crawled over and hugged him, hugging her back gently before getting out of the bed. "I better go find Bo...you stay here an' try t' sleep ok?"

Daisy shook her head "can't sleep, I don't wanna be by myself I'll help ya find Bo." with that said she climbed out of bed to help Luke find the youngest Duke cousin.

Luke sighed but nodded following her quietly out the room. "You look in the house...I'll sneak outside and see if he went there...."

"OK" Daisy replied as she headed down the hall her first stop was the bathroom where she knocked softly calling "Bo are ya in there?"

Bo however was way ahead of his cousins already, even if he was only little. He had already made his way downstairs and had deftly snuck around the house until he had reached the back door. Without a single glance back, he had opened the door and taken off at a run, heading for home. He had made this route many times with his Uncle, Aunt and Cousins so he knew where he was going...it was just a case of making it before someone realized he was gone.

Luke, meanwhile, checked the barn. "Bo? Bo you in here?"

After not finding Bo in the bathroom, Daisy headed to the kitchen thinking maybe Bo was in there sneaking a cookie. "Bo?...." She didn't get an answer from the kitchen either so continued looking.

Bo however was well on his way down the roads, tears sliding down his face as he little legs ran as fast as they could go to get back to the farm.