Chapter 6

Over the next few days, there were small but significant changes in Luke's condition. His balance improved and he was able to get around by himself with just minimal assistance from time to time. His speech improved even though he still spoke slowly and with a slight stutter when he was tired. And even though he was still in a certain amount of pain, his shoulder and his ruptured eardrum were healing. On the down side, he still got severe cramps in his leg muscles and he was having trouble sleeping at night. He also suffered from severe headaches and vertigo. He had trouble remembering things and he couldn't hear out of his right ear. Doc still could not make any guarantees if the residual side effects were permanent or just temporary. Only time would tell. At least he could finally go to the bathroom again by himself. A blessing that Luke said a silent prayer of thanks for. It was just too dang embarrassing to have to ask for help with that. As his body got stronger, Luke became more and more frustrated with his limitations. He couldn't even read anymore because he had trouble translating the words written on the page and then remembering what he read.

Jesse still wouldn't let him do much around the farm except for some of the easier chores like feeding the animals and gathering the eggs. At least that was something and it made Luke feel useful again. Jeb was helping Bo and Jesse in the fields and with the heavier chores around the farm. He was starting to get depressed, something Doc Applebee had already warned Jesse could happen. Luke knew that his family loved him and was worried about him but sometimes he needed to be alone, away from their watchful eye. At those times, he would retreat to the hayloft just as he had done when he was a child and wanted to be by himself.

Bo knew that was where he would find Luke that afternoon. He walked into the barn and climbed the ladder to the loft. He found Luke right where he knew he would be, sitting in the corner nearest the loft door, staring out into the barnyard. Bo settled down into the straw beside his oldest cousin. “Hey, cuz…” he said quietly, laying his hand on Luke's shoulder.

It was several minutes before Luke finally turned his head to look at Bo. His sapphire eyes were filled with a deep sadness that tore at Bo's heart. “Bo…I can't take much more of this….”

“What?” Bo asked in a worried voice

“I'm trying but it's not getting any better……I don't wanna be like this anymore….”

“Luke…..you gotta give it a little more time….”

“I know what Doc told Jesse….I heard him.” Luke said, “He said this might be as good as it gets….”

“They don't know that, Luke.” Bo said “You could still get better…..it hasn't been that long since the accident….”

“I'm scared, Bo.” Luke said, burying his face in his hands “I'm scared I'm gonna be like this for the rest of my life….”

Bo wasn't sure what to say. To hear Luke break down like this was startling to say the least. Luke was usually so guarded and kept his emotions tightly under control, this was a side of his oldest cousin that Bo had never seen before and it both scared and worried Bo. The only thing Bo could do was put his arm around Luke's shoulders and pull him close, offering him what little comfort he could.

“I feel like I'm losing my mind….” Luke said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “Maybe I already have…..”

“Luke Duke! You stop talking like that right now!” Bo said fiercely “You're not a quitter….none of us Dukes are quitters and you best remember that! We'll find a way to get you through this together!” Luke didn't answer. He just leaned against his cousin, drawing strength from his younger cousin instead of the other way around. Bo held on tightly, refusing to let go, knowing that at that moment, he was Luke's lifeline. Bo silently vowed that he would find a way to get Luke back to normal as quickly as possible. He knew that Luke had always been considered the smart one, the strongest of the three cousins. But Bo had his own inner strength and he knew that he had to draw on that strength now to help Luke no matter it took. The boys sat there for a long time, just taking comfort from being together. Finally, Luke pulled away and shoved himself to his feet. He reached down and grabbed Bo's hand, pulling him to his feet. Together, they walked back towards the house.

Chapter 7

Bo was awakened from a sound sleep by the sound of Luke moaning in his sleep and thrashing around in his bed. Quickly, Bo jumped out of bed and hurried to his cousin's side. “Luke?” he said anxiously “Hey, Luke….wake up….” He gently shook Luke's shoulder to wake him up. When Luke didn't immediately wake up, Bo tried again, saying his name a little louder and shaking his shoulder a little harder. That woke Luke up and he woke up swinging. A hard left hook caught Bo on the jaw, sending him to the floor to land on his butt. “LUKE!” Bo yelled, rubbing his jaw where Luke had hit him.

“Bo?” Luke said in a confused voice, looking at his cousin and wondering what he was doing sitting on the floor, glaring back at Luke.

“You punched me!”

“Whaa.a..t?” Luke stammered, trying to clear the cobwebs out of his head. His eyes widened in surprise as he tried to make sense out of what Bo was telling him.

“You punched me.” Bo declared, “You were having a bad dream and when I tried to wake you up, you punched me!”

“I'm sorry, cuz….” Luke said apologetically as he sat up in bed and reached out his hand to his cousin to help him to his feet. “I didn't mean to hit ya…”

Bo sighed and took Luke's hand, letting his cousin pull him to his feet. He rubbed his jaw again. “Man, cuz…..I forgot how hard you could punch.”

“Yeah….I ain't had no reason to punch you in a while, have I?” Luke said with a soft chuckle

“Cute, Luke….real cute.” Bo said with a crooked smile, his cousin forgiven. “Now that you're awake…you ain't gonna punch me again, are ya?”

“Not unless you plan on giving me a reason to.” Luke told him with a grin. At least for a few moments, Luke was back to his old self again as the two boys bickered back and forth just as they used to do before the accident. The moment was lost as Luke closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as a sharp pain shot through his head, signaling the beginning of a migraine. Recognizing the signs, Bo said quietly “I'll get a pill.”

Luke shook his head. “Won't do no good….” He said “It never does….” He slowly laid back down, keeping his eyes closed and throwing one arm over his eyes. He took several long slow breathes as the pain in his head slowly got worse. Luke knew it wouldn't be long before the nausea started and the vomiting. Bo knew it too. He went to the bathroom, returning with a cool washcloth that he laid on Luke's forehead to try and help to ease the pain. Bo knew the headache would last for at least a few hours, leaving Luke drained and weak. Until then Luke would be unable to get out of bed and would be irritated by any kind of light or noise. Bo automatically walked over to the window and pulled the curtains to keep out the sun from shining in when it came up, then he went back to his cousin's side and sat down on the floor beside his bed to watch over him.

When Jesse opened the door to wake Bo up the next morning, he took in the sight in front of him and knew immediately what was going on. Nodding at Bo, who looked up at his Uncle with weary eyes, Jesse slowly backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Daisy glanced up at her Uncle as he came into the kitchen where she was fixing breakfast. “Are the boys coming down for breakfast?”

Jesse shook his head “Put something in the refrigerator for them. Luke has another one of his headaches…”

“Uncle Jesse, is Luke ever going to get better?”

“Doc Applebee seems to think so. He just keeps saying it's going to take some time.”

“I hope he's right. I hate seeing Luke like this all the time.”

“We all do, baby. We all do.” Jesse said, giving her a quick reassuring hug. “I know it doesn't seem like it but he is getting a little better every day…”

“But he's still not the same Luke he used to be.”

“Not yet….but he will be. You have to keep believing that. We can't let him give up trying…..”

“He's already trying so hard…..”

“That's cause he's a Duke and us Dukes don't give up.”

Back upstairs in their room, Bo was gently helping Luke out of bed so he could go to the bathroom. He was still a little unsteady on his feet but the relentless stabbing pain in his head had eased to a light throb. “You okay?” Bo asked anxiously as he kept his arm around Luke's waist to steady him and they walked to the bathroom. Luke nodded not trusting his voice to speak just yet. “Hey, Luke….” Bo said as he pushed open the bathroom door and helped Luke inside “What do ya say you and me go camping for a few days? Just the two of us? I think we could both use some time alone…”

“Jesse needs your help around here…” Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to aggravate his head again by talking too loudly.

“I'm sure Uncle Jesse won't mind and he's got Jeb here to help him out…..and I can probably get L.B. or B.B. to help out too for a few days. What do ya say?”

“I'd like that….” Luke admitted with a faint smile “As long as Jesse is okay with it.”

Bo help Luke to lean against the wall so he could keep his balance while he took care of business. When he was done, he helped Luke back into their bedroom so he could lay down a little longer until the lingering effects of his headache was gone completely.

While he was resting, Bo went downstairs to talk to Jesse. He found his Uncle in the kitchen drinking another cup of coffee before starting his mornings work.

“Uncle Jesse, I've been thinking…..it might do Luke some good if he could get away for a couple of days. I thought maybe him and me could go camping for a while.”

Jesse considered Bo's idea for a moment and then he nodded his head “You may be right. Luke never has liked a lot of fussing over him…..maybe a few days away would do him some good.”

“I figured I could call B.B. or L.B. and have them come out to help out you and Jeb while we're gone.”

“Where you planning on going camping at?”

“Not far, just up by the creek like we used to do.”

“How long are you planning to be gone?”

“A few days….maybe a week. I guess it all depends on Luke.” Bo said offhandedly

Jesse nodded again “All right. I guess it can't hurt none. When are you planning to leave?”

“As soon as Luke starts feeling better. Probably this afternoon.”

“All right. Daisy saved you two some breakfast whenever you two are ready to eat.” Jesse told him. Bo nodded as he turned and ran back up the stairs to tell Luke that Jesse gave his okay for them to go camping.

Chapter 8

“Bo spent the next couple of hours gathering the camping equipment and some other supplies and put it all into the trunk of the General Lee. Daisy had fixed them enough food to last for a week. They were camping close enough to the farm that Bo could always go back after more food if they decided to stay longer than that. They left to head for the campsite in the early afternoon. Luke was quiet and subdued from his earlier bout with the migraine. Bo drove across the back pasture and into the woods that surrounded the farm. He went deep into the woods while still staying on Duke land until he came to the creek that ran through the middle of the woods. He parked the General and the boys climbed out of the vehicle.

Luke helped to unload the trunk and set up the camp. They pitched the tent at the edge of the creek and spread out their sleeping bags inside. Luke made a fire pit while Bo gathered up broken branches and any other wood he could find to build the fire. When he finished, Bo took the cooler and sat it in the creek which would act as a natural refrigeration to keep their supplies cold. He pulled two beers out of the cooler and walked over to where Luke was sitting on the bank of the creek, skipping stones over the water. He handed one of the beers to Luke and kept the other one for himself. They popped the tabs on their drinks and each took a long swallow. Bo smiled at his cousin encouragingly. Luke seemed to be more relaxed than he had been for days.

“How ya doing?” Bo asked

“Better.” Luke told him with a faint smile.

“You're gonna be okay, Luke….I know it.”

“I wish I could believe that.” Luke said quietly. “It's like everything in my head keeps going in a dozen different directions at the same time…..and every time I think I've got a handle on it….then it all screws up again.”

“Doc keeps saying you just need some more time….”

“I hope to god that's true. If I knew for sure that it was….then I could deal with it…it's the not knowing for sure that scares the hell out of me…” Luke admitted his voice tight with emotion. “It's like sometimes I can think clear and then other times I can't… and I never know when to trust my mind to work right….”

“Jeeze, Luke….I didn't know it was that bad.” Bo said, putting an arm around his older cousin's shoulders and squeezing tightly. “No wonder you've been so scared. Why didn't you tell me before?”

“I was scared to….it just sounds so crazy…..” Luke said with a rueful smile. He looked at his cousin, sapphire eyes locking with baby blue “I should have known you'd understand even if nobody else did….”

“But it's getting better…..I can tell…” Bo said firmly “Maybe you've just been trying too hard and maybe we've all been pushing ya too much.”

“Maybe….”

“So maybe getting away for a few days….just the two of us….will help. It sure can't hurt none.”

“You got that right.” Luke agreed with a grateful smile. The boys had always loved camping and tried to take a camping trip at least twice a year. It helped to clear their minds and relax their bodies. For a few days at least, everyday responsibilities could be forgotten, pressures relieved and even social norms ignored. They could fish, they could hunt, or they could just sit around the fire and do nothing. And after the stress and strain of the past few weeks since Luke's accident, it was a release that both boys needed.

What they didn't count on was a thunderstorm the first night they were there. A storm that almost sent Luke over the edge and tore lose the fragile grasp he had on his own emotions. The clouds started rolling in late in the afternoon. Luke seemed fine until the storm actually arrived with crashes of thunder and bright bolts of lightening that lit up the sky around their campsite. Even though the boys were safely inside the tent and out of the pouring rain, Bo could see the fear in Luke's eyes and the trembling of his body.

“Hey, cuz….it's okay…” Bo said, quickly moving to his older cousin's side and pulling him into his arms, holding him tightly as the storm raged outside.

“Make it go away….please make it stop….” Luke whimpered like a lost child as he cowered in Bo's arms, terrified of the storm in a way he had never been before.

“We're safe, Luke….you're safe….” Bo reassured him “I'm not going to let anything hurt you….”

Luke's only answer was a long drawn out moan of terror as he buried his face against Bo's shoulder, his whole body starting to shake. The moan turned to a shriek that scared the hell out of Bo as Luke suddenly started struggling to free himself from his cousin's embrace. ‘LUKE! CALM DOWN!” Bo yelled, trying to break through the terror that was clouding Luke's mind. “YOU'RE OKAY!” Suddenly, without warning, Luke broke away from Bo and ran out of the tent before the younger man could stop him. By the time Bo jumped to his feet to follow him, Luke had disappeared into the storm.

“LUKE!” Bo screamed, his voice fading away into the storm “LUKE! WHERE ARE YOU?” The rain was pouring down so hard Bo could hardly see in front of him and the darkness made it even worse. Ignoring the downpour, Bo kept searching for Luke knowing that he had to find his cousin as quickly as possible. Luke's violent reaction to the storm worried Bo. He had no idea what Luke might do in his present state of mind.

It was only a matter of minutes until Bo was soaked to the skin but still he kept searching. He didn't think that Luke could have gone far but he wasn't having any luck finding him. “LUKE?” he yelled, listening carefully over the howling of the storm for any reply but receiving none. He moved deeper into the woods, walking blindly with no trial to follow, moving purely on instinct in the direction he felt Luke had gone. He was almost on top of the cave before he even realized it was there.

Bending down to peer into the dark hole, he called out softly “LUKE? ARE YOU IN THERE?” he listened but didn't hear anything so he tried again “LUKE? COME ON, CUZ…IF YOU'RE IN THERE…. ANSWER ME!” Bo paused and listened again. This time he was positive he heard something or someone moving around inside the cave. Praying that it was Luke and not something or someone else lurking there, Bo made his way into the darkness of the cave. He reached out his hand and found the rough stone wall, gliding his hand along the rough stone to guide his way as he moved deeper and deeper into the cavern. Bo stopped, his entire body stiffening and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as he sensed a presence in the darkness just ahead of him. “Luke?” he said softly “Is that you?” Bo felt something slam into him, knocking him to ground as a heavy weight settled on his chest and hands suddenly clutched at his throat.

Chapter 9

Startled at first by the unexpected attack, Bo quickly reacted. He grabbed the hands around his throat and used all his strength to pull the fingers away from his neck so he could breathe. Then he twisted to one side, shoving whoever it was off him. When they attacked again, Bo was ready. He caught the other body in a bear hug and held on tightly, pinning the man's arms to his side. Instinctively, he knew that he had found Luke and he didn't want to hurt him. “Luke! It's me, Bo!” he said soothingly “Calm down….it's gonna be okay….” He felt the body he was holding in his arms slump to the ground, pulling Bo down with him. A few moments later, he heard the terrified sobs that echoed through the cave. Making quiet shushing sounds, Bo gathered Luke close to him and cradled him in his arms as if he were a child. He felt Luke's hands clutching at him in the darkness, almost desperately, as Luke buried his face against Bo's shoulder, still sobbing almost hysterically. Bo began to think the camping trip had been a bad idea after all because it sounded like Luke had really lost it this time. Bo knew he couldn't leave Luke alone to get help and he couldn't take him back outside until the storm stopped. So he did the only thing he could, he just sat there with Luke in his arms offering what comfort he could as his cousin fell apart in his embrace.

It was almost morning before the storm finally subsided. Luke had finally fallen into a light sleep and Bo hated to disturb him but he needed to get him back to the campsite and out of his wet clothes. “Hey, cuz…” he said gently, “Wake up….the storm's over…we can go back to the camp.”

Luke jerked awake, startled, his eyes widening with alarm. Almost in a daze, Luke let Bo help him to his feet and guide him out of the cave. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, making both boys blink against the glare. Luke was silent as the boys made their way back to the campsite. Once they reached the tent, both boys quickly changed out of their wet clothes and into something dry. Tired and exhausted, they lay down in their sleeping bags and went back to sleep. It was late afternoon before Luke woke up. Bo's sleeping bag was empty. He was obviously already up and about. Luke shoved himself to his feet and crawled out of the tent. Bo was sitting by the fire and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air.

“Hey….” Luke said, sitting down beside his cousin. Bo smiled and poured his older cousin a cup of coffee, handing it to him carefully. Luke accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a cautious sip. “Thanks, cuz…”
“You feeling better now?”

“Yeah…..I'm sorry I freaked out like that. I don't know what came over me….”

He looked at his cousin solemnly “I could have hurt you back there in that cave…..” he bowed his head, hiding his eyes “But I was terrified that you were gonna make me go back out into the storm.”

“I'd never do something like that!” Bo exclaimed “You freaked out so bad…..I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He clamped his hand down on his cousin's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly “You took off running…..I didn't know where you went…..”

“I don't know…..when it started storming, I felt like I couldn't breath. I felt like I was trapped inside the tent…..I just wanted someplace safe….” Luke said struggling to explain “My heart was beating so fast….it felt like it was gonna explode…..and I was so scared….”

“It's okay, cuz….” Bo said “It's over now….and everything's okay.”

“No, it's not….what about the next time? I can't freak like this every time we have a storm…”

“It's nothing to be ashamed of. After what happened to you, you have every reason to freak out when it storms.”

“Not like that.” Luke said in a defeated voice “What if I hurt somebody the next time because I'm so freaked all I can think of running away?”

“That ain't gonna happen.” Bo said firmly “Do you wanna go home?”

“No…” Luke said shaking his head “As long as it doesn't storm again….I'll be okay.”

“Okay…..we'll stay….” Bo said slowly “But if anything happens and you freak out like that again…..we're going home.”

“Deal.”

The boys just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the quiet and the peace of the rustic setting. Bo was still concerned about his older cousin but he didn't want to push Luke and make him feel as if Bo was babysitting him or watching every move he made. Luke was struggling enough with both the physical and the mental side effects of his accident. Some things a man just has to work out for themselves and for Luke, this was one of them. But Bo couldn't forget the look of terror in Luke's eyes during the storm, terror that had driven all rational thought from his oldest cousin's mind and made him run as if he were running for his life. And he could still feel Luke's hands around his throat inside the cave. Bo knew that kind of terror and panic was extreme and that Luke could very well need help learning to deal with it, more help than his family could give him but that was a decision that Luke would have to come to on his own.

Chapter 10

The next few days were more relaxed than their first night. Luke still felt guilty and ashamed of his extreme reaction to the storm but Bo reassured him that he understood. He was glad they had decided to stay at the campsite instead of going back home. The camping trip seemed to be good for Luke. He was more relaxed and calm then he had been since the accident. He was acting more like himself again. The boys spent their time fishing, hiking through the woods and just sitting by the fire talking late into the night. And Luke was sleeping at night better than he had been for weeks. It was as if being away from the farm and the rest of the family for a few days had given Luke the chance to re-energize. And being able to do something he loved again had helped to pull him out of the depression he had been sinking into. They had planned to go back to the farm at the end of the week but Luke was doing so well, they decided to stay for a few more days. Bo decided to go back to the farm for more supplies and to tell Uncle Jesse that they planned to stay a few more days while Luke stayed behind at the camp.

When he got back to the farm, Bo filled Jesse in on what had happened the night of the big storm, carefully leaving out the part about Luke attacking him in the cave. Jesse nodded. He wasn't that surprised at Luke's reaction to the storm considering what he had been through but he made a mental note to talk to Luke about it when he got home and suggest that he talk to Doc Applebee about it. He hoped that Doc would be able to give Luke some suggestions to help him deal with his fear of storms the next time. He agreed to let the boys camp out for a few more days after Bo promised they wouldn't be gone longer than another week.

Back at the camp, Luke decided to take a walk along the river bank. It was quiet and peaceful here and he could feel his mind starting to function the way it used to before the accident. The headaches were easing up and he hadn't had any cramps in his legs in almost a week. And at least he could sleep here, something he hadn't been able to do very well back at the farm. For the first time since the accident, he began to believe that maybe things would be okay after all. His shoulder was almost healed, although there would be a nasty scar to remind him of his bout with the storm. And he could hear a little bit out of his right ear, not much but enough to make him hopeful that he would regain the hearing in that ear as the eardrum healed. His violent reaction to the storm still bothered him. He knew he would need to talk to Doc Applebee about it when he got home, maybe there was something he could do to help him deal with the terror Luke had felt when he heard the thunder and saw the lightening that night. He had been so overwhelmed with fear that the only thing he could think about was running to get away from the storm. Even though he knew that Bo didn't blame him for attacking him in the cave, Luke still blamed himself. He knew that he could have hurt his cousin but at that moment, he hadn't been in his right mind and he was terrified that Bo was going to take him back out into the storm. But he couldn't use that as an excuse to justify what he had done. That was another reason he had to talk to Doc. He couldn't have something like that happening again. He had to find a way to control the fear instead of letting the fear control him. That wasn't Luke's way. He refused to let this phobia to rule his life. By the time he returned to camp, Bo had returned with the supplies.

Over the next week, Luke continued to improve. The headaches went away completely and so did most of his other pain. Even his speech improved until he spoke normally again with a slur or a stutter. He regained his confidence along with his strength as the days went by. His memory still was patchy at times but he knew that would improve as time passed. He still had the most important thing, his family and their love and support. He knew he would never forget the day he got hit by lightening or the devastating effects of that event but he also knew he was one of the lucky ones. He had survived and he would be able to go on with his life without any permanent damage other than his fear of storms which he would learn to cope with. He knew how close he had come to being killed that day and was grateful for being given a second chance. An act of God had shown him just precious life was and how easily it could be changed in a heartbeat by a random act of nature.