by: Marty Chrisman
The Dukes and Cooter sat there waiting for news on Bo and on Luke. They sat there for hours with people rushing in and out around and medical personal rushing by as they went about their daily routines. But for them there was nothing to do but to wait and to worry. Finally Doctor Anderson came back into the waiting room and walked over to where they were sitting. He looked tired and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“How’s Bo?” Jesse asked before the doctor had time to speak
“He’s out surgery but his condition is not very good. He has what we Flail Chest. Basically that means that he hit the steering when he wreaked and that impact caved in his chest, breaking several ribs. He also had a collapsed lung, a severe laceration on his left shoulder, and he was bleeding internally. His condition is still listed as critical and his prognosis is poor.”
“Did you find out anything about Luke?” Jesse asked nervously.
“About all I can tell you about Luke is that he’s still alive but he’s on complete life support. He can’t breathe on his own and his heart keeps fluctuating. As I said before his injuries are all life threatening. He has a depressed skull fracture with probable brain damage, several broken bones; he had a ruptured spleen that caused massive internal hemorrhaging, there was some damage to his kidneys, and there was a tear in the aortic artery which is the main artery to the heart.” The doctor paused to let his words sink in and give them an idea of just serious Luke’s injuries were. “He should have died on impact or been DOA at the hospital. His condition is critical and his prognosis is very poor.”
“Uncle Jesse,” Daisy cried, burying her face against Jesse’s shoulder once more at the thought of her oldest cousin being so critically injured.
“Is he gonna die?” Cooter demanded his voice rising sharply “Are they both gonna die?”
“I really can’t say. As long as they’re alive, there’s always hope.” The doctor told them evasively.
“Can we see Bo?” Jesse asked “I wanna see my boy.”
“Not yet I’m afraid. He’s still in recovery and then they’ll be moving him to Intensive care. Why don’t you all go home and get some rest? If his condition stays stable, then you can see him sometime tomorrow.”
Jesse nodded somberly. He and Cooter both stood up helping Daisy to her feet. Cooter returned to the Duke farm with them. They were his friends and they needed him now. He would stay with them until they knew if Bo and Luke was going to live or die.
Daisy was far to upset to cook, so Cooter scrambled up some eggs but nobody had much of an appetite. Jesse got a jug of his finest from his hiding place in the barn and he and Cooter started drinking. No one got much sleep that night.
Torn between their need to be with both boys at a time like this, the next morning they decided they would go to Tri County first to check on Bo and then they would go to Atlanta to try and talk to the doctors there about Luke. Cooter made a strong pot of coffee and they all drank several cups before leaving for the hospital. They were already exhausted and their vigil had just begun.
At Tri County, the nurse informed them that they still could not see Bo. She told them that if they wanted to come back that evening, they might be able to see him then. She would find out from the doctor and let them know when they returned. Feeling helpless and discouraged, they headed for Atlanta to see what they could find out about Luke.
It was almost two and half hours later before they arrived at the Atlanta Medical Center. It was massive impressive building that occupied 4 city blocks. It took them several minutes to find out which floor Luke was on. Finally one of the nurses located him in the intensive care Unit on the 8th floor. They took an elevator to the ICU and stepped out into a large open area with comfortable couches and chairs scattered around the room. A nurse’s station was located in the center of the room. Jesse walked over to the nurse on duty and introduced himself. “We’d like to talk to the doctor about my nephew.” He told her “Luke Duke.”
“Yes, Mr. Duke. Please have a seat and I’ll page the doctor for you.”
The two Dukes and Cooter sat down on a sofa nearest the nurse’s station. Daisy grabbed Cooter’s hand tightly and tried to control her anxiety and fear. After several long minutes a young man in a white coat made his way over to where they were sitting and said quietly “Mr. Duke, I’m Doctor Malone. I’m in charge of Luke’s case.”
“How is he?” Jesse asked in a tightly controlled voice that made a poor effort at controlling his distress.
“I have to be very honest with you…I don’t think he’s going to make it.” The doctor told them as gently as he could. This was the part of his job he hated the most. You never knew how a patient’s family was going to react to that kind of news. “I’m surprised he’s held on this long.”
“You gotta be wrong.” Cooter said in a strained voice, glaring at the doctor. “As long as he’s alive…there’s always a chance.”
“Right now, he’s being kept alive by machines. He couldn’t survive on his own if we turned them off.” The doctor said “We will be running some tests this afternoon to try and determine the extent of brain damage and hopefully I will be able to tell you more at that time.”
“I wanna see my boy.” Jesse said in a fiercely determined voice, standing up and facing the doctor. “If he’s gonna die, I wanna see Luke.”
The doctor looked at the elderly Duke patriarch for a few moments, then nodded his head “You can go in one at a time but for five minutes only.” He glanced at Cooter “And only the immediate family.”
“Cooter is family.” Daisy said firmly
“That’s right.” Jesse said just as firmly
The doctor hesitated and then nodded slowly “All right. You can go in to.” He told Cooter, backing down graciously.
It was decided that Jesse would go in first, then Daisy, and then Cooter. Jesse braced himself and followed the doctor though the doors that opened into the ICU unit.
The doctor led Jesse to a room directly behind the nurse’s station in the ICU. Slowly, with heavy steps, Jesse followed the doctor into the room.
Luke was lying on the bed surrounded by machines. Every part of his body seemed to be covered with either bandages or casts. And everywhere Jesse looked there were tubes, lines, and IV’s hooked up to his body. There was a respirator tube in his mouth that was forcing air in and out of his lungs. He was so pale and frail looking lying there that Jesse felt the tears gathering in his eyes. Crossing to the bed, he gently reached down and picked Luke’s hand. It was as cold as ice and there was no response to his touch. Instinctively, Jessie started rubbing Luke’s hand to try and warm it up. “I love you, Luke…” Jesse said quietly “And me and Daisy are both right here with ya…You ain’t alone…”
The five minutes passed much too quickly. The doctor escorted Jesse back out to the waiting room, then it was Daisy’s turn. She gave Jesse an anxious look as she stood up to follow the doctor back to see Luke. She knew she had to be strong, not only for Luke but for Jesse too. Still, she couldn’t help crying when she saw Luke. Unable to speak, she simply leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Still crying, she followed the doctor back out to the waiting room. Seeing how upset she was, Jesse immediately stood up and took her in his arms, comforting her.
Cooter was last. He did his best to hide his emotions when he saw Luke but it was hard. Luke and Bo were his best friends and had been since they were kids. Right or wrong, Cooter found himself wondering if it wouldn’t have been better for everyone if Luke had died on impact. Sometimes medical intervention just prolonged the suffering for the family and the outcome was still the same. Cooter looked down at his closest friend and felt the tears stinging his eyes. In a whisper, he said “Dang it, Luke…it looks like that ole mountain got ya this time.”