by: Marty Chrisman

Luke opened his eyes, then groaned softly and closed them again. He could feel the pain in his back from the surgery and taste the metallic aftertaste in his mouth from the anesthesia. He was also severely nauseated, a side effect he always got when he was given any kind of anesthesia to put him to sleep. He knew it would pass but he’d be sicker than a dog for awhile until it did.

“Luke,” Bo’s voice said softly at his side “Are you awake?” Luke nodded without speaking but kept his eyes closed. He felt Bo holding his hand and rubbing it gently. Bo knew the side effects that Luke experienced when he had any type of anesthesia, so he was well aware of how sick Luke felt right now. The doctor had left an order with the nurses to give Luke something to help with the nausea if it got too bad. But Bo knew that Luke wouldn’t ask for anything unless he got sick enough to start vomiting which could rip open the stitches.

Bo left his cousin’s side just long enough to wet a washcloth with cool water and bring it back to put on Luke’s forehead. The doctor had told the family that the surgery had gone well and that the disc had been repaired. Now all they could do was wait and see if the feeling returned to Luke’s legs or not and the doctor had told them that could take a few weeks before they’d know for sure. Luke heard the door open and then Uncle Jesse and Daisy’s voices but he still didn’t open his eyes.

“Hey, honey…” Daisy said, gently kissing his cheek “Hang in there…you’re gonna be okay.”

“How ya doing, boy?” Jesse said, gently rubbing his shoulder. “The doctor said everything went okay so if the good lord’s willing you’ll be up and around before too much longer.” Jesse glanced at Bo questioningly. Bo shrugged his shoulders slightly, letting Jesse know that Luke was sick from the anesthesia and that he wasn’t talking to anyone right now. Jesse nodded and turned his attention back to his oldest nephew. He leaned over and whispered to Daisy telling her to ask the nurse to give Luke something for the nausea even if he hadn’t asked for anything. Jesse decided it was time to overrule Luke’s stubborn nature. There was no reason for him to suffer so.

Daisy left the room and returned in a few minutes with a nurse. The nurse walked over to the bed and said quietly, “Luke, I’m gonna roll you over for a second so I can check your bandages and then I’m gonna give you a couple of shots.”

Luke winced in pain as she gently rolled him over onto his side. She checked the bandage covering the incision on his lower back, then took two hypodermic needles out of her uniform pocket. Lying one of them on the nightstand, she uncapped one and squeezed the plunger to make sure there was no air in the needle, then deftly jabbed the needle into Luke’s hip. She took did the same thing with the second needle and then helped Luke roll back over onto his back. She carried the used needles into the bathroom to dispose of them. When she came back out, she told the family “Those shots will probably make him drowsy but that’s alright. He needs to rest right now.”

Luke felt the effects of the pain killer almost immediately as his body started to go numb and he started to get sleepy. As he dozed off, he realized the nurse must have given him something for the nausea too. Sighing softly, he let himself drift off into the darkness and away from the pain and the nausea.

“Why does he get so sick, Uncle Jesse,” Daisy asked “When they give him anything to put him to sleep?”

“I don’t know, darling. His dad was the same way and so was my brother, George.” Jesse told her “And even Aunt Pauline has problems sometimes. You and Bo were just lucky it doesn’t affect you two like that.”

They stayed for awhile longer then decided to head for home before it got too late. After they had said their goodbyes, Bo checked to make sure that Luke was resting comfortably and then he went to bed too.

            In his dream, Luke was behind the wheel of the General Lee driving through the countryside. He could feel the wind in his face and see the scenery flying past from the corner of his eye. He felt the same sense of freedom he always felt when he was behind the wheel of the powerful orange stock car. The thrill of driving along at a high rate of speed, ever alert for any danger, feeling as if the car was an extension of himself, a part of his very soul.

Luke awake with a start and a slight jerk that sent a shockwave of pain through his back. He lay there staring into the darkness, the tears burning his eyes, as he remembered the dream and found himself wondering if he would ever feel the thrill of driving the General Lee again. He turned his head and glanced at the other bed. Bo was lying there sleeping soundly. Luke sighed and turned his head to stare back at the ceiling, wondering what his life would be like if he never walked again. Against his will, he found himself thinking of the things he would never be able to do again if he couldn’t walk. Drive the General, climb the ladder to the hayloft to hide and make out with one of the local girls, swimming at the pond, helping Uncle Jesse around the farm, or just taking  a walk by himself through the woods. He wondered if he’d ever be able to make love to a woman again or to have children someday. Until now, he had taken those things for granted and hadn’t realized how much they meant to him. He shook his head to make himself stop thinking about things that he may never be able to do again. It was long time before he finally slept.

The next morning, Luke was still in pain from the surgery but at least the nausea was gone. Thank god for small favors. An aide brought in the breakfast trays for him and Bo, but Luke left his untouched. He wasn’t very hungry so Bo ended up eating both trays of food. Luke smiled faintly. Bo always did have a healthy appetite. Jesse always swore that Bo could eat a person out of house and home if he had half a chance.

Since Luke couldn’t get out of bed because of the surgery or even move around much, the boys spent most of the day talking and watching TV, which was a challenge since most daytime TV consisted of either game shows or soap operas, at least the facility had HBO and Showtime. Luke tired easily mainly due to the pain medication he was being given so he also kept dozing off during the middle of a movie, then waking up to realize he’s missed all the good parts. Bo tried to tell him what he’d missed but it just wasn’t the same as being able to watch it for himself. They tried playing checkers but Luke found it hard to concentrate on the game. Finding things to do when you were stuck in bed was a challenge in itself.

As a special treat, Bo went out and brought them back a pizza for supper. He also snuck in a couple of cans of beer which was against the rules but he figured nobody would say anything if they got caught. Most of the aides on the evening shift were pretty cool. Tired from being stuck in the room all day with not much to do, the boys turned in early that night.