Chapter 8
Cyrus Miller, the local mortician ushered Jesse Duke, Daisy Duke, Cooter Davenport and three of the other Duke cousins, Coy, Vance and Jeb into his office. Cyrus had been a mortician for forty some years, he was used to dealing with distraught family members and this wasn't first time he'd buried a member of the Duke family. He'd buried Bo, Luke and Daisy's parents, as well as Jesse's wife but this time it was harder than usual to go through his normal routine. Bo and Luke were both so young and so well liked in the community.
“I'll try to make this as quick as possible, Jesse.” Cyrus told him sympathetically “First of all, I need to know if you want the caskets open or closed at the service.”
“Open.” Jesse said “I want to see my boys one last time.”
“Alright. What about the obituaries? I can get most of the information from what I have on file for Martha and Luke's folks.”
“That'll be fine.” Jesse said nodding his head absentmindedly
“Are you planning on having a wake?”
“Yes, at the house.” Jesse said in a fiercely determined voice “And I want my boys there. I want ‘em back home one more time before I have to tell ‘em goodbye for good.”
Cyrus arched his eyebrows questioningly “Nobody's asked to do that in years…” he said quietly “But of course that's your right, Jesse. I'll arrange to have the boys brought out to the house sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'm picking up them up this afternoon.” He made some notes on his clipboard. “I assume you want them buried in the family cemetery.”
Jesse nodded without answering. The boys would be laid to rest in the Duke family cemetery on a hill behind the barn along with five generations of Dukes.
“Fine.” Cyrus continued. “I'll have the boys picked up Friday afternoon and brought to the church and we'll have the service Saturday afternoon. I've already notified Pastor Gibson for you. Are there any special songs you would like to have played at the service?”
“Amazing Grace.” Jesse said naming his favorite hymn.
“And Rock of Ages.” Daisy said, holding back her tears “That was Luke's favorite hymn.”
Cyrus finished up the arrangements and took Jesse into another room where he would pick out the caskets that he wanted for the boys to be laid to rest in. When Jesse had finished with what he needed to do, they all returned to the farm.
Cooter convinced Daisy and Jesse to rest for awhile. While they were doing that, Cooter, LB, Coy, Vance and Jeb moved the furniture out of the living room (except for the couch) and stored it in the barn temporarily to make room for the two caskets that would be set up in the living room for the traditional three day wake for Bo and Luke. Coy had borrowed some folding chairs from the VFW hall and he set those up in the living room so people would still have room to sit.
“It ain't right…..” Cooter muttered more to himself than anyone else. “It just ain't ain't right. Them boys shouldn't be dead.”
“Cooter, I think you need to get some rest, buddy…” Vance said
“Don't tell me what I need!” Cooter snapped “What I need is for Bo and Luke to walk through that door and tell everybody this is just some kinda bad dream! That's what the hell I need!” Nobody tried to stop him as he stormed out of the house and out into the night.
Chapter 9
The next afternoon Cyrus had the boys brought back to the house one last time as Jesse had requested. Coy, Vance and Jeb helped to move the matching silver caskets into the living room. They sat one at either side of the room. When they were finished setting them in place, Cyrus opened the top part of the hinged lid so that Bo and Luke could be seen. Jesse had refused to dress them in suits to be buried. He wanted them to look natural. So he had opted to have Cyrus dress them in their best dress jeans with a yellow shirt for Bo and a blue shirt for Luke, their favorite colors.
After Cyrus had left, the three Duke cousins huddled together and looked at Bo and Luke solemnly. Cyrus had done a good job. They looked perfectly natural; there were no visible signs of the terrible injuries that had killed them. If you tried really hard it almost looked like they were just sleeping. Slowly, other family members and friends began drifting into the living room to look at the boys. Coy and Vance moved over to the far corner of the living room where they could talk privately without being overheard.
“I think we best stay around here for awhile.” Vance said quietly
“You got that right, cousin.” Coy agreed “Uncle Jesse and Daisy are gonna need our help around here with Bo and Luke gone.”
“Not only that but they're gonna need somebody around here to watch out for them too. Make sure they git through this okay.”
“Yeah, I reckon you're right.” Coy said “Should we say something to Uncle Jesse?”
“Naw, you know Uncle Jesse. He'd tell us that he was okay and that we didn't need to worry none.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right.”
“I know I am. Come on. Let's get some coffee. People are gonna start showing up again soon.” The two cousins went into the kitchen to get some coffee and something to eat.
Cooter stood by the kitchen counter drinking a glass of Jesse's finest. He'd been drinking most of the morning. He knew that the traditions and rituals surrounding funerals were for the living. It was way for them to say their goodbyes to those who had passed on. But Cooter couldn't help thinking at the moment that it was a pretty morbid ritual. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to look at his two best friends lying in their coffins.
He glanced up and saw Daisy and Jesse coming into the living room. Everyone stopped talking and slowly stepped aside. Jesse had his arm protectively around Daisy's shoulders as they slowly walked towards the coffins. Daisy faltered and stumbled. She would have fallen if Jesse hadn't tightened his grasp around her shoulders. The grief on their faces broke everyone's heart. Daisy tried to be strong for Uncle Jesse but the minute she saw the boys, she burst into hysterical tears. Coy and Vance rushed forward to help Uncle Jesse console her.
Enos Strate watched with tears in his own eyes. He had come to pay his respect to his closest and oldest friends and to the family. He hated to see Daisy so upset but he knew exactly how she felt. And what made it worse for Enos was the fact that he had been there that night. He had seen the accident happen and he'd had to watch as they cut Bo and Luke out of the car. As long as he lived, he would never forget the stricken look on Jesse's face when he had to tell him that Bo had passed away. And he would never forget his own grief and pain when Cooter told him that Luke had passed away too.
Chapter 10
Jesse quietly opened the back door and slipped outside. He walked over to the old picnic table and sat down. He just needed some time alone and a breath of fresh air. The house was crowded with mourners just like it had been for the past two days. Tomorrow Cyrus could come after the boys and take them to church for the service on Saturday afternoon. Jesse's tired old eyes swept across the barnyard. He could almost see the boys as children climbing the old oak tree or Bo when he was just a little thing chasing the chickens around the barnyard because it was so much fun.
He smiled as he remembered catching them when they were 8 and 12 sampling some of his shine that they'd found hidden in the barn. He whipped them good for that but it wasn't too many years later that they were right there by his side helping him make the shine and delivering it too. Moonshine was tradition in this part of the country and like most other boys their age it was first hard liquor the boys had ever tasted.
He remembered them building the General Lee out in the barn (with a little help from Cooter) and how proud they had been when they showed the completed car to him for the first time. And lord, them boys could drive but then Jesse could too and he was the one who had taught them everything they knew about handling a car. That car was such a big part of their lives. He knew that Cooter had towed the General out to his farm after the accident and had stored there in barn.
His thoughts and memories were interrupted by Roscoe who had come out of the house. The sheriff had come by to pay his respects and it looked like he'd had more than a little of Jesse's sipping shine. Roscoe wasn't a drinking man so it didn't take much to get him tipsy and moonshine is powerful stuff even if you were used to drinking it.
“Hi ya, Jesse…” Roscoe said slurring his words slightly “I've been looking for you.”
“I'm right here, Roscoe.” Jesse said.
Roscoe laughed that stupid laugh of his as he sat down on the bench on the other side of the table from Jesse. “I wanted to tell ya how sorry I am, Jess….about the boys and all….”
“Thank you, Roscoe. I know that.”
“It's all my fault….all my fault.” Roscoe said in a weary voice “Them boys are dead because of me.”
“What are you talking about, Roscoe? It was an accident….a tire blew out and Bo lost control….that's all it was…just an accident.”
“But if I hadn't been chasing ‘em then Bo wouldn't have been going so danged fast when it happened.” Roscoe said in a guilty voice “Maybe he wouldn't have lost control like he done.” Roscoe cleared his throat “I couldn't do nothing, Jess….they was just hurt so bad…”
“Roscoe, it ain't your fault.” Jesse said reaching out and gently patting the other man's hand “And I ain't blaming you or nobody else for what happened.”
“You mean that, Jesse?” Roscoe said hopefully.
“Of course I do.” Jesse sighed softly “You best git home, Roscoe. You look like you could use some sleep.”
“I'll do that, Jesse” Roscoe said, shoving himself to his feet “And I just want you to know again just how sorry I am…..I'm gonna miss them boys too. I've been chasing around the county since they was young un's.”
“Go home, Roscoe.” Jesse said. Suddenly, he felt very old and very tired. He sat there for several long minutes, staring sightlessly at the horizon. Nothing would ever be the same again. This time there was no way to make things right. Slowly, Jesse finally shoved himself to his feet and went back into the house.
Chapter 11
“We've got him back!” The voice said from a long distance away. Why didn't they just be quiet and let him alone. He was dead, he heard them say so. He wasn't supposed to come back. And the pain, so much pain, how could one man live and still be in so much pain. Jesse and the rest of the family was planning their funerals, he'd been there. He'd seen it. He'd seen them both lying in their coffins in the living room at farm. Was he crazy? Had his mind slipped over the edge without him realizing it? He just wanted to retreat back into the darkness where it was safe.
“Don't you die on me, boy!” Uncle Jesse's voice said gruffly in the same tone of voice he used when they were kids and in a lot of trouble. A voice that he had been conditioned since childhood to obey. And he had no choice but to obey. Death would have wait for another day. An alarm sounded shrilly as he drew a breath on his own, fighting the machine that was forcing air in and out of his lungs. Why didn't somebody shut off that damn thing. It was giving him a worse headache than he already had. Maybe he really was still alive after all. It was all too confusing to try and figure out right now. It still all seemed so real in his mind. He could still feel the intensity of the pain and the suffering his family and friends had gone through because both of them were dead.
“Come on, sugar…please open your eyes.” Daisy. He could hear sweet Daisy's voice begging him to wake up. He could tell that she was crying and he hated to make her cry. But he couldn't seem to make his body do what he wanted it to do.
“Hey, buddyro......” Cooter's voice. What was Cooter doing here? He sounded like he was crying too. Geez. He was making everybody cry. He struggled to find a way to let them know that he could hear them but it useless. He couldn't move, he couldn't make a sound. What had happened to him? Did they really crash into the side of the mountain, or was it just something that happened in his mind? The relentless pain in every part of his body told him that something had happened, something really bad.
He could feel the love in the room, surrounding him. The love of his family, a family that didn't want to let him go and he knew that it was that love that was keeping him here and not letting him cross over to the other side. Even though he wanted to, he wanted to leave the pain behind but the strength of their love just wouldn't let him go. The love of the family had always been the most important thing in his life, the one thing he knew he could always count on, and he knew that it was that love that was keeping him here now, lingering on a tight rope between life and death. He felt the darkness closing in around his mind again and he fought against it this time. Somehow, he knew if he let the darkness reclaim him now, he wouldn't be given the chance to come back again.
Gotcha! Did you really think I'd let a Duke die? Don't you know they have 9 lives?
Chapter 12
Jesse and Daisy both had tears streaming down their faces, but this time they were tears of happiness, not of grief. Dr Malone had told them there was no hope, that there wasn't anything more the doctors could do. There was no hope left….they were going to lose Luke. And his heart had started to fail, along with his other systems, even with the machines that were supposed to be keeping him alive. When the heart monitor flat lined, Jesse's heart had stopped too. The doctor and nurses had rushed into the room and the doctor had shook his head ready to give up and declare Luke dead. Then Jesse stood up and bellowed “No, my boy ain't gonna die like this! You try bringing him back!”
“Mr Duke….” Doctor Malone said sadly “It's no use….he's just hurt too badly…”
“I don't care!” Jesse bellowed “You try to bring him back! If you can't, then I'll let him go…but not until I know you tried!”
Reluctantly, the doctor did as Jesse ordered even though he knew that it was hopeless. He gave Luke's body 5 shots with the paddles with no luck and no change. He was ready to give up when the heart monitor fluttered, just briefly, but it fluttered. With baited breath the doctor watched the monitor, unable to believe what he was seeing, as the monitor beeped and began to register a heartbeat. Erratic and unstable but a heartbeat just the same. Quickly, the doctor grabbed a needle from the crash cart and injected the medication it contained directly into Luke's heart muscle. Miraculously, he watched as his heart beat began to stabilize.
“Thank God…” Daisy cried, tears streaming down her face. Jesse was shedding tears of his own as he put his arm around his niece and gave her a comforting squeeze.
“Mr. Duke….I have no idea how we managed to bring him back…but you may not have done him any favors.” Dr Malone said grimly.
“You doctors told us he was gonna die no matter what!” Cooter snapped his voice rising in anger and frustration “You wrote him off….and he fooled ya all! And he'll do it again…..you just wait and see!”
The doctor ignored Cooter's outburst and left the room. He still believed that the Duke boy was going to die. It was only a matter of time. There was no way he could picture him surviving with injuries as life threatening as his.
Jesse reached down and gently rubbed his oldest nephew's hand. There was no noticeable response from Luke but his heart was still beating and that was all that mattered. Jesse hadn't lost him yet and if the love of his family was enough to keep him alive then by god Luke was going to make it through this. God had his hand on Luke's shoulder and Jesse knew that it was God that had let him come back to them.
“Uncle Jesse,” Daisy said quietly “I'm going to call Tri County and check on Bo.”
“I'll go with ya, Daisy.” Cooter said “I could use some coffee. You want a cup, Uncle Jesse?”
“I ain't your Uncle Jesse.” Jesse said automatically
“We'll bring you back a cup, Uncle Jesse.” Daisy said with a faint smile as she left the room with Cooter.
After they had gone, Jesse leaned down so that he was talking directly into Luke's ear. “Boy,” he said softly “If you ever scare the daylights out of me like that again….I'll tan your hide.” He rubbed Luke's hand again “I don't know what I'd do without you or Bo. You gotta just keep hanging on, boy….and come back to us where ya belong…” Jesse choked back the lump that rose in his throat and brushed away the tears that sprang to his eyes. He knew that Luke wasn't out of danger yet and that he was still seriously injured but Jesse had enough faith to move a mountain.
Luke could hear Jesse's voice but he couldn't respond no matter how desperately he tried. He wanted to beg Jesse to do something to make it stop hurting so bad but all he could do was suffer in silence. And he was suffering and suffering terribly. But he had no way to let anyone know that.
Jesse glanced up as Cooter and Daisy came back into the room. Daisy handed Jesse a cup of coffee and said, “I talked to Doctor Anderson. He said Bo's still unconscious but he's showing some signs of trying to wake up.”
“Good……that's good….” Jesse said “Be one less thing to worry about if Bo wakes up.” He looked down at his nephew “We'll just stay here awhile longer with Luke. I wanna make sure he's holding his own again before we leave.”
“Now, Unc..uh..Jesse,” Cooter said trying to lighten things up “Ya know them boys have nine lives…..”
“More like twenty.” Daisy said with a soft laugh
“The only life I'm concerned about is the one right here and right now.” Jesse said somberly. They stayed by Luke's side for the rest of the evening and on into the early morning. It was almost three AM before Jesse was finally satisfied that Luke wasn't going to flat line again and agreed to leave the hospital.
Chapter 13
After only a couple of hours sleep, Daisy, Jesse and Cooter were up again. Jesse and Cooter did the morning chores that the boys would normally have done, while Daisy made breakfast. After they had eaten, they went to the Tri County Medical Center to check on Bo. When they went into his room, they were surprised to see that Bo was awake. He was groggy and drowsy but he was awake.
“There's my, boy….” Jesse said, smiling happily as he grabbed his youngest nephew's hand.
“Hey, cousin…” Daisy said smiling brightly. “How ya feeling?”
“Unc' Jesse…….” Bo slurred, trying to focus his eyes on his family and Cooter.
“That's right. It's your Uncle Jesse.” Jesse told him gently with a smile. “Now, don't try to talk too much….you been in a bad accident…but you're gonna be okay.”
“Luke….” Bo whispered “Where's…..Luke?”
Jesse and Daisy exchanged glances. Neither one of them wanted to be the one to tell Bo how badly Luke was hurt. Finally, Cooter took matters in his own hands and said, “Don't you worry none, buddyro. Luke's in the hospital too….and the doctors are taking real good care of him.”
“Luke….died…” Bo said, slowly shaking his head back and forth. He looked at Jesse “But…you made…'em…bring him back.”
Daisy felt a cold chill run down her spine. The strange, almost psychic connection between Bo and Luke seemed stronger than ever. How else could he have know what had happened to Luke? “Luke's alive, sugar…” Daisy told him quietly “So don't you worry none…”
“Had the…strangest dream…” Bo said, struggling to stay awake and tell his family what he had experienced while lying in a coma. “Me and Luke…both was dead…”
“Bo, it was only a dream.” Jesse said soothingly.
“No…” Bo said shaking his head stubbornly “I saw us…in our coffins….in the living room…at the farm…everyone was so sad…”
“Bo, honey, it was just a dream.” Daisy said trying to reassure him.
“No….” Bo said “Too real…” he closed his eyes unable to fight the drowsiness any more and drifted off to sleep.
“Uncle Jesse?” Daisy said looking at her Uncle with wide open eyes.
“Now, Daisy…it was just a dream. Just like the nightmares Bo used to have when he was little.” Jesse told her reassuringly.
“But how could he have know what happened to Luke?” Daisy asked
“I don't know, baby. I just don't know.” Jesse admitted “He must have sensed it somehow.”
“Don't surprise me none.” Cooter said “Not as close as them two have always been. I swear they can read each other's minds sometimes.”
Jesse had talked to Doctor Anderson before they went in to see Bo. He had told Jesse that they had surgically repaired Bo's broken ribs to restore the rigidity of his chest wall. He would still be in a great deal of pain for awhile but his condition had been upgraded from critical to good and as long as his condition remained stable, he would be moved out of the ICU within the next couple of days. However, it would probably a couple of weeks before he would be strong enough to go home. But at least it looked Bo was out of danger, which meant the family could concentrate their energies more on Luke who needed them the most right now.
Jesse knew that Bo had to be told just how badly Luke was hurt but not until he was a little stronger himself. Jesse knew that as soon as Bo found out about Luke's condition, he would demand to see him. And that just wasn't possible yet.
Bo woke up again but not until later that evening. He was a little more alert but still heavily medicated because of the pain from his recent surgery. The first thing he did was ask about Luke.
“How's Luke?” His voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.
“Luke's hurt pretty bad too…” Jesse told him, not really wanting to go into much detail.
“Where is he?”
“He's at a hospital in Atlanta .”
“ Atlanta ?” Bo said, anxiety and fear creeping into his voice. If Luke was at a hospital in Atlanta instead of in the same hospital he was in Bo knew that his cousin had to be hurt a lot worse than he was. “How bad is Luke hurt?”
“Now Bo,” Jesse said trying to keep his youngest nephew calm “Just settle down now…don't go getting yourself all worked up.”
“I ain't getting myself all worked up” Bo said in an irritated voice “But I'm about to if somebody don't tell me how bad Luke is!”
Jesse took a deep breath. He knew Bo wouldn't let it go until Jesse told him about Luke. “He's hurt bad….real bad. Do you remember the accident?”
“Not much.” Bo admitted “Roscoe and Enos were chasing us and a tire blew out…that's about all I remember.”
“You hit the side of the mountain, buddyro.” Cooter told him “The impact was on Luke's side of the car.”
Bo inhaled sharply and his eyes darkened with pain. “Is Luke gonna die?” he asked in a barely audible voice
“We just don't know yet….” Jesse told him “We had a pretty bad scare already……but they brought him back. All we can do is pray cause it's in god's hands not ours.”
“I wanna see Luke…I gotta make sure he's gonna be okay…” Bo said, starting to get more and more agitated.
“Now Bo, I said settle down!” Jesse said firmly “You ain't in no dang condition to go anywhere. You were hurt pretty bad yourself.” Jesse paused until he was sure that Bo had himself under control “Now, as soon as you're strong enough to get out of here....…you can see Luke but not until then.”
”What if he dies before I get a chance to see him?” Bo said, tears gathering in his eyes.
“You can't be thinkin' like that” Daisy said
“Daisy's right.” Jesse told him “And I ain't gonna have you jeopardizing your own health just because you're worried about Luke.”
“Yes, sir.” Bo muttered somewhat sullenly. He knew Jesse was right but he hated to admit it. He couldn't even move without feeling like his chest was being torn apart. And he couldn't move his left arm either. But his overwhelming fear for Luke was enough to make him forget his own discomfort.
“We're gonna go so you can get some rest.” Jesse told him “Now I want you sleeping not worrying about Luke all night.”
“Yes, sir.” Bo said in a resigned voice
“We're gonna go to Atlanta tomorrow to see Luke but we'll be here to see you tomorrow night.” Jesse told him
“You tell Luke I'm praying for him and that he better hang on till I can come see him myself.” Bo said
“I will.” Jesse promised
Chapter 14
The next day it was only Jesse and Daisy who went to Atlanta . Cooter had to go to the garage. He couldn't neglect his business any longer. He hated to do it but he had no choice if he wanted to continue to make a living. Daisy had arranged with another waitress to cover her shifts at the Boar's nest but she would have to return to work at the end of the week or Boss threatened to fire her. Boss Hogg had no love for the Dukes, it didn't matter how seriously the boys were hurt.
Daisy and Jesse sat by Luke's side, touching his hand and talking to him even though he was still unconscious. If there was even the slightest chance that he could hear them, Jesse wanted him to know that they were there and that he wasn't alone. The doctor still wasn't very optimistic about Luke's chances of pulling through. But Jesse had faith and he believed that Luke would eventually get better.
The question was if there would be any permanent damage from his injuries. He had already had to have one kidney removed because it had been severely damaged in the accident. Luckily he could still lead a normal life with just one functioning kidney. The ruptured spleen had been removed and the tear in the aortic artery had been repaired. He had numerous broken bones including 4 ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken hip and his right arm was broken in three places. His hip and his arm had been set using surgical pins and a steel plate. But Jesse knew the broken bones would heal. All it would take was time.
But his body was severely weakened from shock, the trauma of the accident itself, and three major surgeries in just over a week. The most dangerous injury was the skull fracture. The doctors still believed there was a good chance of some kind of brain damage but they weren't able to run any tests yet to find out for sure. Until Luke was conscious and alert there was no way of knowing what kind of brain damage he might have suffered. Even then there was no way of knowing for sure if it was permanent or just temporary. In meantime he was completely dependent on the machines to keep him alive. His heart rate had stabilized which was good but he still wasn't able to breath on his own, although he did try to occasionally, setting off an alarm whenever he fought to breath against the machine. Unless he started breathing on his own, he would never be able to live without depending on the machines.
“Come on, Luke” Daisy said quietly, gently rubbing the back of Luke's right hand “Please wake up…please open your eyes for me….”
I'm trying, honey……I'm trying. Luke thought. But he couldn't open his eyes. And the pain, why couldn't someone realize how much it hurt and give him something to make the pain go away? It hurt everywhere: his hip, his arm, his chest, his back, his stomach but most of all his head. It felt as if someone was driving a pick axe through his brain and that his head was going to explode at any minute. Please god…somebody… make the pain go away…just for a little while. He could feel Daisy touching his hand but he couldn't even twitch a muscle to let her know that he knew she was there. He knew there was something in his throat making him want to gag but he couldn't even do that. Fear gripped at his mind as he found himself wondering if he would ever wake up or if this would be the way he'd remain for the rest of his life. Locked in the darkness and unable to respond in any way and in so much pain that the only relief from it would be his own death.
“Uncle Jesse, he has to wake up….he just has to.” Daisy said, trying to fight back her tears. She couldn't stand to see her oldest cousin like this. He had always been there to comfort her when she was hurt and in pain, either physically or emotionally, and the only she wanted now was to be there for him. But she didn't know what to do other than to keep talking to him and touching him and trying to reassure him that his family was there. And she didn't even know if he could hear her or not.
She looked at his face, so still and so immobile. She wanted to see that slow sexy smile of his just once more and to look into those sapphire blue eyes that were so full of life. His eyes had always been so expressive. He could say more with his eyes than most people could say by talking to you. But now those eyes were closed and wouldn't open no matter what she said to him.
Jesse knew that Daisy was exhausted. So was he. Neither of them had gotten much sleep since the accident. But they stayed with Luke until late afternoon before heading back to Hazzard. After a quick supper, they drove to Tri County Medical to see Bo. Dividing their time between two hospitals almost three hours apart was taking its toil on both of them.
They found Bo awake but groggy from the heavy doses of pain medication he was being given. But he seemed to be in good spirits and the doctor told them that he was getting stronger every day. Bo was excited about being moved out of the ICU the next day which meant he would be able to have other visitors besides his immediate family. Inevitably, Bo wanted to know about Luke.
“How's Luke?”
“Still no change.” Jesse told him
“He's in a lot of pain, Uncle Jesse. It's really bad. You gotta make ‘em give him something for it. ‘Cause he's suffering so much.”
“How do you know, Bo?” Daisy asked looking at her younger cousin with a surprised expression on her face
“I just know.” Bo told her offhandedly as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to know what he knew “I can feel it.” He looked back at his Uncle “And he knows when you're there….he just can't open his eyes.” Now it was Jesse's turn to look surprised at Bo's statements. But, at the same time he wasn't really that surprised. Bo and Luke had been able to sense each other's pain ever since they were children and always seemed to know what the other was feeling or thinking.
Jesse had been able to do the same thing with his brother, James, Luke's father. It could be unnerving to someone who wasn't used to being around them. If Bo said Luke was in pain and that he was suffering, Jesse believed him and he would make sure something was done about it. And if Luke could hear them and knew when they were with him but just couldn't open his eyes, then that gave Jesse hope. Maybe Luke would wake up soon too.
“I'll take care of it.” Jesse reassured him “I'll make Luke isn't hurting anymore.”
“If anything happens to Luke….it's all my fault.” Bo said a husky tone creeping into his voice
“Bo, honey, that's nonsense.” Daisy told him “It was an accident.”
“But I was still driving….I “was the one who going so danged fast.”
“Bo,” Jesse said, gently taking his youngest nephew's hand “Daisy's right. It was an accident. Ain't nothing you could have done about it. Ain't nobody blaming you.”
“I blame me. And if Luke dies…I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing I killed him.” Bo said as the tears gathered in his eyes.
“Now you stop that kind of talk right now.” Jesse said in a firm yet tender voice “You did not cause the accident, it just happened. It would have still happened even if Luke had been driving. Luke would never blame you and you know it.”
“What am I gonna do if he dies, Uncle Jesse. I don't know if I can make without him.” Bo said in a broken voice “He promised when we were kids that he's never leave me….that he'd always be there for me.”
“He made me that same promise, Bo.” Daisy told him “And he's trying to keep it. He's holding on…”
“Bo, Luke loves you…..he loves all of us. And if that love is strong enough to keep him here with us in spite of everything, then nothing's going to take him away from us.” Jesse said somberly. He smiled at Bo gently “You need to get some rest. Daisy and I will be back tomorrow after we see Luke.”
Bo nodded. He waited until after Jesse and Daisy had left the room, then he buried his face in his pillow and cried most of the night.
Chapter 15
“Luke,” Jesse said leaning in close to Luke's ear “If you can hear me, I talked to the doctors and they're gonna start giving you something to help with the pain.”
Thank God. Finally someone realized how much he was hurting. They were going to make the pain go away. Bo. It had to have been Bo. Bo must have been the one who told Jesse how much he was suffering. Bo had sensed it just the way Luke had always been able to sense when Bo was in pain or in trouble. Neither one of them had ever questioned how they could do it they had just accepted the fact that they could. It was a gift, the same gift that Jesse had told Luke that Luke's father and Jesse had shared too.
Jesse looked up as a nurse's came into the room. Jesse had to argue with the doctor about giving Luke something for pain. The doctor kept insisting that Luke was in a coma and therefore couldn't feel any pain. But Jesse had stood his ground and the doctor had backed down finally agreeing to give Luke something for pain. He still didn't think it was really necessary but something in Jesse's eyes warned him that it was best to stop arguing about it and just do it. The nurse took a needle and depressed the plunger to get the air out, then she inserted the needle directly into the IV line running into the back of Luke's left hand. Jesse nodded curtly as the nurse finished her job and left the room.
Luke felt the effects of the medication immediately. The intensity of the pain began to diminish until it had subsided to a more manageable level. It wasn't completely gone but it wasn't so intense that Luke felt as if his whole body was being ripped apart. The worst of the pain was in his head and his chest and even that seemed a little better now. Not gone entirely but much better than it had been. He heard Jesse's voice again.
“That should make it better. I didn't know, Luke….or I would have made sure they gave you something sooner so you didn't have to suffer so much.”
“Bo says you can hear us, sugar.” Daisy said “You just can't open your eyes …so I just wanted you to know that we're here and we love you.”
“That's right, boy.” Jesse said gruffly “So you just hang in there and get stronger so you can get better and come back us, ya hear?”
I hear you. And I'm trying Uncle Jesse. I'm really trying but it's hard, it's so hard. It would be so easy to just let go. Cause something else was wrong, he could feel it. And the dream. It had been so real, not like a dream at all. He could still see it in his mind. He could still see himself and Bo lying in their caskets in the living room of the farm house. And everyone was crying and grieving. Was it just a dream or was it a premonition of his own death. He still didn't know. He didn't want to die but he didn't want to live either if he could no longer do the things he loved and became a burden to the ones he loved the most.
“Bo's awake.” Daisy told him “So hopefully he'll be able to come and see you soon.” Even though she believed what Bo had told them about Luke being able to hear them, it was still hard to talk to him and not get any noticeable response. “He's really worried about you too.”
“Everyone is.” Jesse assured him “Once you get out of here and in another room, you'll have more visitors than you can handle.”
Before leaving the hospital that afternoon, Jesse asked to talk to the doctor to get an update on Luke's condition and his prognosis. The doctor ushered him and Daisy into his office and waited until they had sat down before consulting his notes on Luke's case.
“Luke is getting a little stronger each day but his condition is still critical and he still isn't breathing on his own but he is trying to. He's taking more spontaneous breathes then he was before, so we have adjusted the ventilator so that it only breathes for him when he doesn't take breath on his own. That way he's not trying to fight the machine when he does breathe.
He is recovering as well as can be expected from the surgeries to remove the kidney and his spleen and I don't anticipate any additional problems there.
My two biggest concerns are the coma and the head injury. Let's start with the coma first.” The doctor paused to consult his notes once more “Luke is not in as deep a coma as he was originally just after the accident but he still is not showing any signs of coming out of it. Now, I just want you to be aware that he is probably not going to just open his eyes and be awake. That's not the way it works. There are several different stages to a coma and his head injury can complicate things. As he starts to come out of it more, you'll start to notice some reactions possibly to your voice, to pain. You may notice movements of his muscles, twitching and so on, facial expressions as his level of awareness increases. He may even open his eyes but he still may not be completely awake. I want you to be aware of that in case it happens because it can be pretty unnerving. I don't want to give you any false hope.”
“But he will come out of the coma eventually?” Jesse asked
“I fairly certain that he will as long as there are no more complications. I just can't tell you how soon. It could be days or even weeks.”
“What about the head injury?”
“That is far more serious and more complicated. And it still could be the major life threatening condition. He received a depressed skull fracture in the accident and that is one of the most serious types of skull fractures. The pieces of broken skull actually pressed into the brain tissue causing cerebral contusions or bruising of the brain itself. The skull fracture was on the right side of his head but he also has some bruising on the left side of his brain. That was caused by his brain actually moving inside his skull upon impact and basically hitting the opposite side of his skull, resulting in the two separate areas of bruising in his brain.”
“So just how serious is all that?” Jesse asked
“It depends. It's so hard to tell with a brain injury and we can't do a lot of assessment until he comes out of the coma because we need him awake and alert to run some of the tests that will us determine the extent of any damage to the brain. So far we've been able to keep down the swelling which is in our favor. When the brain swells too much after this type of injury that's when the damage can be much more severe and permanent because the brain doesn't have anywhere to go inside the skull. And that's when parts of the brain actually die.”
“But you think is going to be some damage?”
“I'm almost positive that will be. There usually is with this kind of injury. But again, it can vary from very mild to very severe. There's just no way of knowing. You may notice a change in his personality, his moods, there may be a lot of confusion, memory loss, loss of motor functions, speech problems, he may develop seizures at some point….we just don't know yet.”
“Will these things be permanent?” Jesse asked in a broken voice as he tried to picture Luke differently than he always had been.
“I can't tell you that either. It depends on how serious the injury is and his own will power when it comes to rehabilitation. The brain is a pretty amazing thing. Sometimes it can tolerate more than we think it can, and it can even re-train other parts to take over for a part that's been injured. With a head injury like Luke's, it's pretty much a guessing game. He could eventually recover completely but that could take months or even years or he could be permanently disabled. All we can do at this point is wait and see.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Jesse said “We appreciate all you're doing for Luke.”
“I have to tell you, I never expected him to survive this long. I would have bet my professional reputation that he was going to die. Now I'm not so sure…I think he may actually have a fighting chance….as long as there are no more complications.”
Jesse thanked the doctor again. The doctor watched as Jesse and Daisy left his office. He wondered if Luke Duke knew just how lucky he was to have a family as close and as supportive as his was. That kind of family bond went a long way in a patient's recovery. And the doctor believed that it was that bond that had kept Luke alive so far.