Bryceton Series: Tortured Souls

[Kristy_DUke]

~LUKE DUKE~

Abruptly I am thrown awake due to another harsh nightmare that sends cold sweat racing down my face with chills racing up and down my back. Jolts of pain shoots through my body as I stiffly sit up from resting against the hard hollow wall that I sit next to. My vision clears up after a long moment to realize that I am once again in Bo's hospital bed instead of standing next to Frank Mills watching Bo being beat at gun point. For a long moment I stare down at Bo as the night mare of watching Bo being held at gun point plays clearly in my head as the feeling of hoplessness once again conquours my body. If only he'd wake up...

I force myself to take my eyes off of my silently still cousin to look up at his monitors that shows no improvement if any at all. I sigh warily as I remind myself to be strong for my cousin as I had always been in the past. "C'mon Bo...please wake up...we all need you to wake up," I sigh looking down at Bo as I begin to run my hand through his thick golden blond hair and sigh at the sight of his bruised forehead, "Uncle Jesse has been home for over a week now...he's been here as well as Daisy and Cooter. Jesse is going crazy with you not waking up...we all are. And ... Bryceton. He's moved into the farm a couple of days ago I guess. Jess says he's really approving and opening up there."

I sigh in frusteration as all I get for return is the off beat of his monitors, the only thing telling us he's still somewhat a live instead of dead. I watch for a moment, taking in his still bruised and cut up body as my imagination plays wildly within me at all they had done to him while being captive. "Jesse is doing OK at home, he has reoccuring nightmare...it all still haunts him I am told. I guess that is what is to be expected," I sigh watching him lie silently as if in protest against ever waking up, "maybe if you were to wake up and be Ok, it'd help brighten him up? He...we all need you to wake up. We can get through this and on with our lifes together.

"I know I haven't been the best at being there for you or helping you out since I came home, but I promise, I'll hang tough for you...I'll be there for you," I force myself to take a pause to fight off the tears that slowly leak down my cheeks, "you are my best friend...I have failed you, which means I have failed my best friend! I'm sorry...I will do anything you want to make it up to you...just please...please wake up."

I fall into silence as the tears fall down my face uncontrollably and I am forced to hide my face into my hands. Slowly I fall into prayer for my cousin to wake up, to be Ok, for my family to return to the family I once knew.

Abruptly my prayers are interrupted as I feel Bo's left bruised hand under my arms slowly move and jump in great surprise as I feel a stiff and cold finger wiping a trail of my tears awake. Quickly I look up from my hands and my heart comes to a halt to find Bo awake looking at me from above the tubes in this throat and in his nose. His baby blue eyes are clouded with harsh pain and harsh fear as he looks up at me as if wanting to tell me, though the tube blocks him from saying anything.

"Bo!" I smile at him and I excitedly hug him, "You're awake!...Wait here a second...let me get your doctor!"

He looks at me in protest as I quickly leave to attreave his doctor of which I find at the front desk.

[Kristy_DUke]

I am thrown awake from a series of harshly haunted nightmares that was tinted with clear pictures and sounds of all that had went on the past year and a half. Bright lights shine in my eyes to send a flash of pain through my head as I fight for answers on where I am at. Fear and pain rush through my throbbing body as I slowly notice the tube that lies down my through, another tube in my nose, as well as a few IV needles to tell me that I am in the hospital. The beeping of the monitors seem too loud and piercing to my ears as I vaguely hear someone say something next tome. Stiffly I glance to find Luke sitting next to my hospital bed with his face partially hidden in his hands. Through the gaps between his fingers and between his two hands, I notice a creek of tears flowing down his pale cheeks. His intelligently blue eyes shines with great fear and worry mixed with a hint of guilt and shines of lack of sleep. Never before had I witnessed my cousin cry or see any hints of fear in his eyes and yet they glitter with fear and is full of tears. Why?

Forgetting about the tube shoved down my throat I fight to say something, an attempt to help comfort him, only to be choked by the large tube. Slowly, I move my left arm out from under his arm to send more shocks of pain flowing through my body. Fighting back my own tears of the pain that shoots painfully through my body, I slowly reach out to trace the tears down his left cheek. He jumps in surprise and as he looks up to see me awake, his eyes are full of surprise, an excitement look that a child would portray while opening up a Christmas gift he had wanted so bad.

"Bo, you're awake!" he smiles leaning over me and hugs me tightly and after a moment I feel a tear of his land upon my shoulder through the thin hospital gown, "Lemme go get your doctor, I'll be right back."

Fear clenches a tight hold on me at the thought of being left alone here as he quickly leaves as I fight to beg him to stay only to be choked by the tube. Tears quickly seep through my blockage I built to shield off the tears of pain, to slowly run down my cheeks. My thoughts rush hurriedly within me, from thought to thought as the image of my last waking minutes at the old cabin, being held hostage by Drake. I sigh tiredly in pain as the images continue to flow clearly in my head and I pray in hope that everyone else there is OK, that they had been able to stop Drake soon after I was thrown down the stairs.

Quickly my thoughts are interrupted as the door is carefully opened and I watch Luke walk in with an older doctor with graying black hair, standing around the same height as Luke. "Well my patient had awakened," he smiles as if trying to help comfort me, "I am and have been your doctor for some time now, we all were begining to wonder if you'd ever wake up. I'm Doctor Nelend...let me look ya over."

I look at Luke who only nods at me as the doctor quickly begins to poke around and write things on his clipboard that he had brought in. After a long moment of silence he slowly stands up from leaning over and looks from Luke to me. "Wow...you have improved greatly since the last time I was in here to look you over," he says looking over at Luke, "I figured him waking up would help matters a lot. . .In fact, I think it would be safe to pull that plug out of your mouth, since the one in your nose is as well helping you breathe. OK? On the count of three I want you to blow out as I take it out. OK? One. . .two...and three."

I breathe out as I am told and as the tube is taken out I begin to cough, fighting for air to send pain flaring in my lungs. "It's OK," he tells Luke, "it is natural for it to do that, it is the change from the tube in from being pulled out. But I will have a nurse run you in a new inhaler for him since he has awakened. It may be a week or two before being released, but he is looking good."

Slowly he nods before grabbing his clipboard and walks out, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry Bo," Luke turns to me.

"For what?" I ask fighting for air.

"I should have supported you...believed you," he sighs, "I have failed you. . .and maybe if I -"

"Don't apologize and don't blame yourself," I interrupt him, "it's not your fault and it would have happened no matter what you did."

Slowly he nods as an odd silence enters the room as he fights for what to say. "Uncle Jesse is at home," he finally speaks up, "he is really worried about you...we all have been. He is doing OK...he adopted Bryceton, it all went through legally last night."

"Adopted him?" I question looking up at him and he slowly nods.

"He's a really sweet kid," he says as if supporting the choice before he sighs tiredly, "you just need to give him a chance...I guess I do too."

Tears once again entery my eyes, though this time of sadness or of jealousy knowing that my life will no more return to the way it was before we lost Uncle Jesse. "Yeah maybe." I finally say.

"Hey look," Luke says trying to comfort me, "we'll get through this together...it'll be ok."

"Perhaps," I shrug to force more pain shooting through my body, "I wanna go home."

[Kristy_DUke]

~UNCLE JESSE~

"Are you sure you are ready for this, Jesse?" my neice asks as she shoves my old white truck into park in the dusty dirt parking lot of the Tri-County Hospital, "I mean, just cause Luke calls sayin' he's awakened and -"

"Of course I am ready to go in and see Bo," I interrupt her too harshly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

She goes silent before she looks down at Bryceton who sits in the middle seat between us, staring out of the windshield before he looks up and catches on. "Cause he don't like me," Bryce finally speaks up.

"Who don't like you?" I question him.

"Bo," he finally says, "I tried...and he only ignored me!"

Slowly I hug onto him as I fight for answers to what he had just said as Bo's reaction to him replays in my own mind as I images of how Bo will react when he knows I adopted him. "He doesn't not like you," I sigh running my fingers through his light brown hair that has flecks of red throughout, "he is just going through a hard time since I have been gone. . .and he needs me to be there for him. Before all this, it was him th at got the most attention from me...when you called me Uncle Jesse, I think that made him jealous...felt like he was being replaced."

"Will he get upset if I call you dad?" he asks me looking up at me with his green eyes, demanding answers.

"I don't know Bryce, but if he does, he will get over it ," I sigh, "it may just take him awhile to get use to it...to realize that I haven't replaced him with you. Just give him time, ok?"

"Huh huh," he nods before smiling, "well then, what are we waiting for?"

"Good question, squirt," Daisy says throwing open her door to be drawn out into the hot humid summer day and I slowly follow her out to help him out.

Grabbing my hand Bryceton begins to walk next to me before saying, "I like Bo."

"You do?" I smile down at him in hope that Bo will learn to like Bryceton as much as Bryceton seems to like him.

"Huh huh," he nods as we begin to walk into the hospital and up to Bo's room in silence.

[Kristy_DUke]

~BO DUKE~

Quickly I am jerked awake, yelling and crying out breathlessly in fear as scenes of being held hostage continues to play clearly in my head from the nightmare that had awakened me. Within a quick second, Luke is helping to force my inhaler and sprays it a couple of times inside of me to decrease the pain that flairs in my lungs. Slowly, my vision clears enough for me to notice Jesse standing awkwardly at the foot of my bed holding Bryceton who stares caringly at me while Daisy stands next to him. "It's OK Bo," Luke finally says taking his seat next to me and I slowly look at him, "it was just another bad dream...just a dream."

"Yeah," I speak up sarcastically, "a realistic one."

"I know buddy," Luke says, almost seeming as if he don't notice Jesse and Daisy standing a couple feet away, "they said that'd it'd be expected...but I'm here...we all are here for you throughout it all."

He motions at Jesse, Bryceton, and Daisy as Jesse slowly sets down the thin boy who is now dressed in better and clean clothes, my guess being a hand me down from either Luke or me. "Me too," Bryceton says stepping to the right of me, easily slipping in between my barred bed and the machines. I watch him warily, unsure of what to think and am surprised as he sets a caring and bruised hand upon my cast, "Me and dad...uh your Uncle Jesse, go through the same thing. But he always helps me...I am sure he will help you too."

I look up at Jesse and he is slow to nod before saying, "I am betting that Luke tol' you, but I did adopt Bryceton."

Silence falls in between us all as I feel thier eyes on me, awaiting for my response. "Yeah...he tol' me that," I sigh, fighting for strength, "I am happy for the both of you."

"Really?" Bryceton says, his bright green eyes lighten up in excitement, awaiting for my approval, "You're happy that I am living with you and dad?!"

"Yeah really," I finally say fighting to hide the sadness that fills me at the thought that no matter how hard we try, life is going to be different than how it was before Jesse was kidnapped; I am no longer the youngest nor the one that needs Jesse the most, "I'm happy for you, you deserve him."

"They thought you'd be upset," Bryceton says for everyone to glare at him, "because you'd fear that I'd be taking your spot...that isn't what I want to do...dad says that would never happen either."

"Maybe," I shrug to send pain marching down my body.

"No maybes about it," Jesse sighs moving next to Luke to sit along side me on the hospital bed, "there is enough of me for you, Luke, Daisy, and for Bryceton. There is no need for jealousy or to feel like you've been replaced. I am here for all of you. You hear?"

"Yes sir," I sigh and he smiles at me, his eyes seem to dance like they once did before he was kidnapped and for the first time in a long time, I can tell my Uncle Jesse is happy...happy to be alive despite the nightmares he must still be plagued with.

"How you feelin'?" he finally asks after a long moment of silence and Luke motions me to answer.

"I hurt," I pause and everyone glares at me, "and I wanna go home."

"Your doctor says it shouldn't be too long now that you've awakened," Luke says next to me.

Silence fills the room once again as thier attention remains on me as if awaiting me to do or say something. "I missed you," I finally open up to Uncle Jesse, deciding on not letting Bryceton get in the way of me being excited at Jesse being home.

"I missed you too, Beauregaurd," Jesse says knowing he is the only one I let say my full name as he pulls me into a long bear hug, "I missed all of you...I am just glad we all together again," he pauses to set me back down, "we's all a family once more."

"Me too!" Bryceton pipes in, in excitement, "My first really family!"

"That we are," Luke smiles and well gather into a large hug.

*********************THE END***********************