by: Kim

After arriving at the hospital, Luke and Cooter found Jesse in the waiting room. They asked how Bo was and he said that they have not come out yet to tell them the news. So they all took a seat and waited for someone to tell them what was happening. Two hours later, a doctor entered the waiting room, he asked, “Are you the family of Bo Duke, Sir.” Jesse answered, “Yes, I am Bo’s uncle, what is the news on my nephew.” The doctor replied, ” Your nephew has second degree burns to his right side of his cheek and neck as well as his hands. I was told that a friend had saved his hands by putting them in a bucket of water and it saved his hands in what could have been a crippling burn.” Jesse asked if they could see Bo and the doctor said they could but one at a time and they would need to wear the paper robs and hand gloves to protect Bo from any infections. Luke said, ” Uncle Jesse, you should be the first one to see him.” “I will wait till you come back out and besides I am going to get some air.”

After Luke sees his uncle leave towards Bo’s room, he goes outside to smoke and he remember he had left another pack in the pocket of his jacket when he grabbed them from his locker earlier that day and realized they were still there. He found a quiet place that was hidden by part of the building and began to smoke for an hour. When Jesse came back to the waiting room an hour later, Cooter told him that Luke hasn’t come back yet. This made Jesse mad because Bo was asking for Luke and wanted to see his cousin. How would he tell Bo that his cousin might have left without seeing him? When Jesse came back he told Bo that Luke went out to get some fresh air and they still couldn’t find him. This made Bo sad and he began to cry and said that Luke probably does not want to see him because he looks like some freak. Uncle Jesse said, ” Bo that ain’t true and Cooter and I will go look for him. As Jesse left Bo there crying, he went back out and still saw that Luke wasn’t there still and he asked Cooter to help him look for Luke.

Cooter and Jesse begin to look for Luke again when Cooter said it might be better to spit up and each go a different direction to find Luke. Jesse said okay and walked towards the left side of the hospital. Cooter went to the right side of the hospital grounds. He walked up the sidewalk to an area that is blocked by the building. Luke had put away his cigarettes and lighter that five minutes later he hears Cooter yell to him, “Luke, where have you been. Luke replied,” I have been here the whole time, why.” Cooter answered, “Luke, your uncle and I have been looking for you because right now Bo believes that you left the hospital and didn’t care enough to be there for him. During the fire, he was trapped in the hayloft and not knowing if he was going to live or die.” Then Cooter told him what had happen at the farm. Luke answer, ” That ain’t true, I care for Bo very much, all I needed was to get some fresh air and I didn’t realize what time it was.” Then Luke walked away from Cooter and reenter the hospital where he walked right into his uncle who was walking up to the same entrance. Jesse yelled at Luke,” Where have you been I have been looking all over the place for you because your cousin is crying in his bed thinking that you left him and didn’t want to see him. ” He also believes that you don’t want to see him is that he looks like a freak.” Luke replied to his uncle’s response,” That ain’t true, I care for Bo very much. Cooter found me and told me what had happened at the farm. I am going to see my cousin now Uncle Jesse and I didn’t realize how long I was outside.” Jesse answer, ” Okay, I believe you. Why don’t you go do that now because he has been asking for you for a long time.”

Luke began to walk down the hall to the door that leads into the room where Bo was staying, he began to think of what to say to his cousin and the thought of Bo thinking he had left had upset him very much. He enters the room and sees that Bo is asleep due to the medication. Then he notices that Bo’s hands were rapped in gauze and were very red. A nurse was putting rest of the gauze around his other hand from having the surgery for the skin grafts. She told Luke that his cousin is doing better and he is tired because they had finished the surgery on his hands and face. It had tired him out. Luke said, “Well I am here to visit my cousin and is the visiting hours over.” The nurse replied, “No, you have one hour left, you should spend some time with him because he has gone through so much today.” Luke answered,” Thanks,” As the nurse left, Luke grab the chair that was next to Bo’s bed and sat down after he had put on the paper rob and gloves so he wouldn’t cause Bo to get an infection.

Luke then carefully holds Bo’s hand in his left hand while brushing his blond hair away from his eyes with his other hand. Suddenly Bo started to feel someone touching his hair and slowly opened his eyes to see his cousin sitting next to his bed. Bo asked Luke,” Why are you here, I thought you left without seeing me.” Luke replied, ” I had been here, but I was outside getting some air and I did not realize what time it was. I do care and love you very much.” Then Luke stood up to carefully pull his cousin up to give him a hug and Bo began to cry on Luke’s shoulder. He continued crying all his fears that occurred during the fire in the barn. Bo said, ” I th….th….thought I was going to d..d…die. The flames had d…d…de..destroyed the ladder and I had no way of getting out. The hayloft fell to the ground and now my hands, face and neck are burned. Now I look like some freak.” Luke replied,” Bo, you don’t look like a freak, I will help you get well.” All of a sudden, Luke felt a slow movement of Bo’s chest rising up and down and Luke to realize Bo had cried himself to sleep. He gently put Bo back down onto the bed and covered him with the blanket. He slowly left the room thinking that he could have caused the barn to burn and he could never tell his uncle or cousins about it. He felt that if he told his family, he would lose the only family he ever had.