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"You know Bo, if you moved you're hands as much as you're mouth, we'd be done already." Luke said, partially amused and partially annoyed at his younger cousin. Bo was supposed to be helping Luke build the fence around the Duke property, but instead he was more focused on retelling a story about Cooter taking Bo along with Enos, Cletus, Dobro, and Brody to see an 'R' rated movie last spring after Uncle Jesse refused to take him and Bo couldn't go without an adult since he was only seventeen. Luke had only been back home for nearly two weeks and Bo hadn't stopped following him around, telling about every moment Luke missed while he was gone. Luke glanced back at Bo, seeing the younger man look dejected, almost hurt. It was sometimes hard to forget that Bo was still a teenager, not even graduating high school for another two months. With a sigh, Luke felt the need to assure Bo that he wasn't actually annoyed with him.
"Tell you what," Luke started, looking up at the sky. The sun was already a lot further along then Luke intended, making it late afternoon. "We've been at this for a while now, so why don't we head back to the house and see what Daisy's whipped up to eat." He offered. He knew how much Bo loved food, and the smile Bo graced him with told him he suggested the right thing. As a peace offering, Luke dug the keys to the pickup out of his pocket and tossed them to Bo. "You drive." He added. Bo's face lit up. Bo didn't normally get to drive. The Duke's only had a limited number of cars, and usually Uncle Jesse and the other boys were using the cars to move moonshine, making Bo having to rely on them to get around. However Bo defiantly had the Duke blood running through his veins and he loved cars just as much as the rest of them. Bo bolted for the truck, climbing behind the wheel and jamming the key into the starter as if any hesitation would cause Luke to take the offer back.
The farmhouse wasn't far away from where they were working, and with Bo's driving it took significantly less time to get back. Luke doubted Bo even knew what a speed limit was, which would make an interesting addition when Bo got to join the family business with running shine. As Bo parked the truck, Luke realized they probably wouldn't be able to get back to the fence today. It was getting pretty late in the day and they still had chores around the house to do, not to mention Bo had homework to complete since tomorrow they had church and would be at the church picnic. In fact, ensuring Bo stayed on task was part of the reason Luke stayed at the farmhouse today instead of helping Uncle Jesse with deliveries. "Daisy, we're back." Luke called, opening the door to the house and stepping into the kitchen. However what he saw made him freeze in his tracks.
Daisy was sitting at the kitchen table, her arms crossed with her head resting on top and her eyes closed. She had never fallen asleep on the table before as far as Luke knew, but he also had been absent for a few years and wasn't sure what ticks his family picked up in his absence. However Luke quickly realized it wasn't a normal occurrence when Bo practically shoved him aside in his efforts to reach Daisy. The youngest Duke knelt down by her side, carefully reaching out and brushing aside some of her hair. "Hey, Daisy…." Bo started but then he froze, his face draining of all color. "Daisy…" Bo tried again, this time gently shaking her. Bo suddenly drew his hand back from Daisy's arm, giving Luke a terrified look. Bo looked so young and scared that Luke couldn't help but think about the day that he told Bo he was joining the marines. It was the same. "Luke, she's burning up."
The panic in Bo's voice jolted Luke into action. He moved to Daisy's other side, touching her forehead with the back of her hand. Daisy was much hotter than she should be. Luke knew she had a fever and they needed to bring it down. He thought back to his medical training in the marines before realizing it was no good here. The medical training they got was meant to stop someone from bleeding out on a battlefield and keep them alive long enough to get to a real medical professional, nothing about fevers. Yet an old memory tickled the back of Luke's mind. When he was in boot camp they did a long run one of the days early in the training. He remembered a Yankee from up north, New York or something, who was not used to the Georgia heat yet and had collapsed during the run. The sergeants had quickly put ice water on his wrists, head, neck, underarms, and thighs saying that the water would cool him down enough until the medics got there.
"Bo, I need you to go get a bowl of cold water and a few washcloths." Luke said. Bo gave him a confused look and Luke wanted to remind him that they needed to move quickly, they had no idea how long Daisy had been unconscious after all. "Bo, go get the water and meet us in Daisy's room. Now." The last word was almost barked out, Luke using his 'sergeant voice' that he used when he had a young marine who was too afraid to move and he needed to make the kid take action. It worked then and it worked now. Bo scrambled to obey, leaving the kitchen to head to the bathroom. Luke knelt back down by the chair, scooping Daisy into his arms before standing up with her. He carried Daisy toward her bedroom, noticing the door was ajar and suspecting that was the first indication that Daisy hadn't been feeling well earlier. Luke laid her on the bed before tugging her blanket out from under her and gently laying it on top.
Bo came into the room, carrying the requested items before taking them over to the dresser. "Okay, now I need you to get the cloths wet and then wring them out. Put them on Daisy's head and neck. Keep her cool." Luke ordered before leaving the room. He didn't need a response from Bo, he knew Bo would listen. Luke made a beeline for the phone, knowing the next step after emergency triage was contacting a medic. Picking up the phone, he hit '0' for the operator.
"Operator" Maybel Tillingham answered the line.
"Maybe, it's Luke Duke. Can you connect me to Doc Petticord?" Luke asked.
"Of course Luke, right away." She said. Luke was grateful she didn't ask why, but he knew she would hear anyway. After a few moments he could hear the line click, connecting him with the old doctor's phone.
"Henry Petticord, M.D."
"Hey Doc, it's Luke Duke. We have a situation at the farm." Luke said quickly.
"What sort of situation?" Doc asked.
"Well, Daisy's running a fever and she's not responding. We don't know how long she's been unconscious." Luke said, giving his best assessment of the situation. After a moment the doctor hummed in thought.
"Alright Luke, listen carefully. I'll head out to the farm now but in the meantime try and cool her down. If she's unconscious the fever might be too high for her. Do you know what her temperature is?" the doctor asked. Luke didn't, he hadn't taken her temperature and he realized that might have been an important step in the process. "No matter, I'll be there in about twenty minutes." The line went dead after that, telling Luke that Petticord was leaving. Luke hesitated for a moment, debating on trying to call Uncle Jesse next but figuring there wasn't much of a point. Uncle Jesse was either at a Still Site or on the road, neither or which had a phone, only a CB. The CB would be too public and may give away his uncle's location. Luke hung up the phone and headed back to Daisy's room to tell Bo the doctor was on the way.
When Luke reached the doorway he found himself pausing. Daisy was still unconscious with the damp cloths on her forehead and wrapped around her neck loosely. Bo was sitting on the bed by Daisy's side, his back to Luke, holding Daisy's hand. "Daisy, come on, you gotta wake up." Bo's voice broke as he said it. "Daisy, come on. I need you. You can't just leave me and Luke alone on the farm all day, we'll kill each other." Bo added. Luke smirked a little, despite knowing there was nothing about this moment that was funny. Bo was terrified, Luke could hear it in his voice and he understood why. Fevers that caused unconsciousness were so high they could kill. "Daisy you listen to me now. You need to wake up. You're worrying Luke." Bo added and Luke's smirk morphed into an actual smile for a moment.
Luke remembered the day Daisy came to live on the farm with them. Luke had been the first one, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Lavinia taking him in after his brothers death due to his parents being unable to care for him anymore. Luke got to see his parents from time to time but he never lived with them. Bo came next as an infant after his parents died. Daisy came a few years later, a six year old little girl who was far too bubbly and bright to have just lost her dad in an accident that killed Luke's parents as well. When she came into the kitchen, Bo was hiding partially behind Luke. Daisy had taken one look at the small child with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes full of wonder that she instantly announced she would be the best big sister Bo could have ever asked for.
Bo and Daisy were close ever since and Luke had no doubts that during his four year absence the two had become nearly inseparable. Bo had leaned on Daisy more than anyone else and Luke knew that Daisy was one of the two only real constants Bo had in his life. Luke didn't think Bo would survive losing Daisy. Not only that but Luke was beginning to realize there was more going on here. He recalled the phone call he was granted with his uncle three years ago, when Aunt Lavinia had died. Luke was in Vietnam when it happened and even though he couldn't make it home, he had been able to talk to his family about it. Uncle Jesse had said Aunt Lavinia had a high fever in the end, that she was delirious and Bo and Daisy had never left her side. Bo hadn't had any experiences with death until that point, not like Daisy and Luke. There was no doubt in Luke's mind that Bo was worried right now that Daisy was going to die and her death would break Bo in ways no one would be able to mend.
Losing Daisy would break the family in a way none of them would recover from. Everyone had a role on the farm. Uncle Jesse kept the farm running and of course supplied the main source of income through the moonshine business. The boys typically took care of the hard labor around the farm land, and while Daisy helped out with that her role was most representative of 'home'. Daisy took care of the house and the 'home duties' in many respects, but it was far more than that. Daisy was always upbeat and sweet, even able to sooth out the stormiest moods of anyone in the home. She was smart as a whip, even being the one who usually helped Bo with his homework when the older kids didn't have the time. She made sure they all remembered to eat, the core of the family. She was needed in more ways then she would ever fully know. More than Luke could explain.
"Daisy, come on!" Bo said, almost sounding desperate. Luke wanted to tell Bo that she was going to be fine, but he also knew he couldn't say that. Not until the doctor said it. Bo reached out, taking the cloth off Daisy's forehead before re-soaking it, wringing it out, and placing it back on her forehead. Luke decided to give them some space and went back to the kitchen to wait for the doctor.
It didn't take long before Luke could hear a vehicle pulling in and a quick glance out the window allowed him to easily recognize the doctors brown sedan. Luke was out the door before the doctor exited his car. "Hey Doc, thanks for coming." Luke said. Doc Petticord reached over to the passenger seat, gathering up his bag.
"How is she?" the doctor asked, following Luke back into the house.
"She hasn't woken up, but Bo's been trying to cool her down." Luke explained as they made their way to Daisy's room. Luke may have walked a little heavier then he normally did, but he wanted to let Bo know they were coming. Sure enough as they entered the room, Bo was shifted to face them. The doctor made his way over to Daisy's dresser, putting the bag down and opened it. Bo looked a little nervous, like he had been hoping Daisy wasn't bad enough to require the doctor. Luke knew objectively that the best thing they could do now was for the two of them to get out of the old doctor's way. Luke had seen Doc Petticord chase many people out of his way before but he also had a soft spot for the younger Duke's and ignored Bo's presence entirely. Luke remained where he was by the door, knowing the doctor would make him leave if he got in the way.
The doctor took Daisy's temperature, frowning at the results before returning to his bag and pulling out an IV bag. "Is that really necessary?" Bo asked. Bo wasn't questioning the doctor's methods, more like asking if Daisy was bad enough that she needed it. The doctor looked at Dean for a few moments before nodding.
"'Fraid so son. Daisy has a high fever, which means she needs fluids, but she can't drink any right now so we need to give 'em to her another way." He explained. Bo nodded to show he understood. As Petticord set up the IV, Bo continued to hold Daisy's hand, letting go long enough to resoak the cloths. After he was done Petticord gestured to Luke to join him in the kitchen, apparently not wanting to say whatever he had to in front of Bo. Luke gave a small nod, following the old man out. "Listen Luke, I'm not gonna lie, Daisy would be best off in a hospital. Her fever is over a hundred and five and if we can't cool her down it'll kill her. There's a few things I can do to help but…" he started.
"What all can we do?" Luke asked. The doctor sighed, not amused at being interrupted but also probably used to it.
"I have some antibiotics that I put in the IV. If we can cool her down, get her temperature under a hundred and five degrees, we can probably let this virus take it's course." He said. Luke nodded. "How long has she been feeling unwell? Fevers like this don't just go from normal to a hundred and five instantly." The doctor said. Luke frowned. Daisy hadn't said anything so he honestly didn't know. Petticord sighed but didn't seem surprised by the lack of information. "Well, let's do what we can. If we don't get her temperature to drop down a little soon then I will make you take her to the hospital." He said.
The two men returned to Daisy's room and Bo looked up at them, suspicious and annoyed at being left out. As the next few hours ticked by, the medicine took and Daisy's fever went down enough that the doctor felt she wasn't required to go to the hospital, however the boys needed to ensure it stayed down. Luke thanked him for his time and escorted the doctor out, leaving Bo at Daisy's side. Just as the doctor was pulling out, Uncle Jesse was pulling in. He jumped out of the car, giving Luke an alarmed look.
"What happened?" he almost yelled, since seeing the county's chief physician doing a house call was never a good sign.
"Daisy's running a fever. We've been trying to keep it down." Luke explained. Jesse paled a little and nodded before heading into the house. Sure enough, Bo hadn't budged an inch from his cousin's side. Luke glanced at the clock, as did his uncle.
"Bo, it's getting' late." Jesse said softly. Bo didn't even glance at them. It wasn't hard to tell that Bo was emotionally and physically wrung out. The fight to keep Daisy's temperature down was difficult and Bo had insisted on taking the main brunt of the work, something Luke and Petticord had allowed due to Bo's need to be useful to Daisy. Now however with Uncle Jesse home, it was time to switch out.
"Just a bit longer." Bo said, but it was more of a request than a comment.
"Bo, you have homework to do." Luke pointed out.
"I can do it tomorrow." Bo objected. That was true enough, but that wasn't the point.
"Bo, you did good, now it's time to take a rest." Jesse said, moving to Bo's side and putting a hand on Bo's shoulder. Bo hesitated but then nearly collapsed in on himself. Luke watched his young cousin grip Daisy's hand one more time before kissing her forehead and leaving the room. "There's some soup in the fridge. Heat that up so you boys can have dinner." Jesse called after him, giving Bo a task to direct his energy to. Then the older man turned his attention to his niece.
"I can watch her tonight, keep her fever down." Luke offered. Jesse scoffed. "Uncle Jesse, I ran fireguard a number of times. I can handle a twenty-four-hour shift. You can get some rest and take the next watch." Luke proposed. His older uncle, who had also had a long day that weighed on him, gave a heavy sigh.
"Alright Luke, I'll let you take the first watch but I'll be in after a few hours." He agreed. Jesse left to help Bo with heating up dinner for the Duke men. Luke sat by Daisy's side, taking up her hand like Bo had before.
"Daisy, you need to come back soon." He said. He looked toward the door. "Bo's a mess you know. He's scared you're going to meet up with Aunt Lavinia." He added. Bo would probably be angry at him for telling her that. "And you know, I just got home. We got a lot to catch up on so you need to beat this fever down." Luke told her. Daisy of course, gave no response.
Luke was exhausted when Uncle Jesse came to switch places with him. It had been a hard battle all night and he knew his uncle was more equipped to handle it than him anyway, especially now that he was well rested. "Her fever's been steadily going down. It's at a hundred and two now." Luke told him. Jesse nodded and ordered Luke to bed himself. Luke dragged himself into his room, glancing at Bo once before falling into bed himself.
Luke woke as Bo got out of bed, the two dressing in silence before heading to Daisy's room. They were surprised to see Daisy sitting up in her bed, talking to their uncle. "Daisy!" Bo was at her side a moment later, hugging her. Daisy held Bo close to her side, smiling up at Luke.
"Uncle Jesse said you two have been looking after me yesterday." She said. Luke could hear the soreness in her voice, he could tell Daisy was still exhausted and sick, but she was awake! Luke gave her a small nod.
"Of course we would." He said. Bo puled away from Daisy, moving aside to allow Luke to give her a hug. Daisy gave Luke a quick hug before leaning back against her headboard. Luke noticed an empty bowl nearby, so Uncle Jesse had gotten her to eat a little soup too.
"I'm glad you're doing better girl." Jesse said. Daisy nodded.
"I am too." She said.
Xxx
It was two more days before Daisy was completely over the flu she had. Bo was by her side whenever he wasn't at school and Luke checked on her practically every hour along with their uncle. Daisy brushed off the attention a number of times, and Luke knew better than to bring up the fact that she initially hid that she was sick. Things seemed to revert to a type of normal on the Duke Farm but Luke knew he wouldn't soon forget the incident that occurred. In hindsight it may have been part of why Luke was so 'overbearing' as Daisy put it.