| Blind Man's Bluff |
| Everybody was pretty quiet during dinner. When it was over, Luke helped Daisy clean up then went out to sit on the back porch. It felt lonely without Bo sitting in front of him. They'd watched so many sunsets here together. As he stared out into the glorious colors, he wondered if Bo would ever see another sunset. The simple beauty of the sky suddenly seemed overwhelmingly painful. He bowed his head, not wanting to see that beauty if he couldn't share it with Bo.
Daisy closed the door behind her quietly, not wanting to startle Luke. He looked so sad and lonely sitting there by himself. She realized she had gotten so used to seeing the two of them sitting there together it had gotten to be as sure a thing as the sunset itself. When Luke's head went down, turning away from the sunset, she knew what he was thinking. She came over and sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. "Luke, honey, it's gonna be ok. I just know it is." She could feel the deep breath Luke took before lifting his face from his hands. "I hope so, Daisy. But what if it ain't? What if he can never see again?" Daisy hugged him tight. "Well, then, he'll always have you to see for him, Luke. You'll take care of him just like you always have. It'll be hard, but your love will get him through it. And our love will get YOU through it." That last bit was what Luke really needed to hear. He'd been so busy all afternoon bein' strong for Bo that he forgot that he might just need somebody to lean on, too. A few tears leaked out as he realized how lucky he was to have this wonderful family around him. Daisy was right; together, they'd all make it through whatever life threw at them. He let himself lean against Daisy, drawing strength from her love. Finally, he blinked away the last tears and looked up in time to just catch the last few wisps of purple sky fading to the black of night. There would be many more sunsets for him and Bo; he was sure of it now. He took a deep breath and slipped his arm around Daisy's waist, hugging her back. "Thanks, Daisy," he said quietly. Her answer was a gentle kiss on his cheek. They sat together watching as the stars came out until it got too chilly and Daisy started shivering. "Come on, Luke. Let's go in and see if Uncle Jesse wants to play some gin rummy." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A couple of hours later, after having been soundly trounced at the card table, Luke finally felt like he could get some sleep. Not wanting to wake Bo, he crept quietly into their room and once again skinned off his clothes. But as he crawled into their bed, he heard Bo's sleepy voice. "Luke? That you?" Luke smiled. "Who else would be gettin' into our bed?" "Oh, yeah," Bo was slowly waking up. He stretched and tried to roll over to face Luke, but his injured left shoulder complained and he quickly rolled back onto his back. Luke turned to him, concerned by the small cry of pain. "Bo? You ok?" "Yeah � guess I did more damage to that shoulder than I thought �" Luke sat up and reached over Bo to turn on the light. Bo's shoulder had even more colors than the sunset. "Yeah, looks like you bruised it good. You want me to go get you an ice pack or something?" Bo sighed as Luke's hands gently ran over his injured shoulder. That felt better than any ice pack. He just shook his head. "It's ok." Luke looked at it again and decided that the time for an ice pack would have been hours ago; now, Bo would just have to put up with it until it healed. So he bent down and kissed the injured area, delivering the only medicine he could. Sitting up, he reached out to brush the golden hair away from the cut on Bo's head. "How you feeling, Bo? Still queasy?" Bo took a moment to sort of take inventory of the various discomforts. "A bit, but not as bad as before. Headache's a lot less, too �" Luke's hand rested softly against his cheek. "You want something to eat?" Bo's face twisted in a grimace. "Uh, not yet." Luke chuckled. He'd had a concussion once before and remembered how nauseous he'd been. "OK, Bo. Trust me, it'll get better. Tomorrow morning you'll be starvin'." Bo didn't quite believe him at the moment, Luke could tell from the expression on his face. He leaned down and gently kissed Bo's forehead. Much to his surprise, Bo caught his neck and drew him down for a proper kiss. It was slow and tender, amazingly gentle. But both of them needed it badly. Luke pulled away just long enough to reach over and shut out the light, before bending down for another kiss. Kiss after kiss, gentle and sweet, reassuring them both that they were still together. Luke somehow found himself crawling on top of Bo, making sure not to put too much of his weight on the injured body below, but needing the full body contact as they kissed again and again. Their kisses became more and more intense and their need for each other grew. Bo could feel Luke getting hard. His own body was still a little too sluggish from the concussion to respond. But his heart desperately wanted to merge with Luke, to share this pleasure. Even the fact that the rest of the family was home couldn't stop him. His arms wrapped around Luke, holding him close. Luke moaned softly as Bo's hands covered his back and buttocks, drawing him ever closer. One of Bo's long, thick fingers teased at his opening, and he took the hint, shifting further up to give Bo better access. "Ohhhh �!" he sighed as the finger pushed into him. Bo's tongue sought out his tonsils as that finger worked its way in. It felt so amazingly good! He squirmed around, pushing back against Bo's hand and rubbing his dick against Bo's belly. The finger inside him shifted angles and finally found his sweet spot. It didn�t take long then before he exploded with a soft grunt, covering Bo's chest with his cream. Bo didn't need to see his lover to know he'd succeeded in taking Luke to the edge. It had been intensely erotic to hear the soft sounds he made as his pleasure grew. Almost enough to overcome the effects of the concussion. Almost, but not quite. But for the moment he was happy to hold Luke in the afterglow, content in their closeness. He could hear Luke's heart beating wildly. After a while, Luke's heartbeat calmed and Bo felt him shift, sliding off to lie beside Bo again. His lips pressed softly against Bo's. "Thanks, love �" Luke's voice was choked with emotion. Knowing that Bo still wasn't feeling all that well, but had made the effort to give him this pleasure, this release after the pressures of a difficult day � it was overwhelming. Bo heard the catch in Luke's voice. He sat up and caught Luke's face, his thumbs tracing lightly over the cheeks. He knew this face better than his own, and in his mind's eye he pictured the wavy dark hair, clear blue eyes sparkling with laughter and love. It was an image that would never change for him. He smiled as he felt Luke's head turn to place a kiss on his palm. "Thank YOU, Luke. You always take such good care of me �" Bo bent down and kissed Luke's forehead. Now Luke pulled him close. "Always, Bo. Always." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bo woke up to the darkest night he could remember; it took him a bit to remember that he was blind. //Temporarily, // he reminded himself as the fear started to grip his heart again. Only the warm, reassuring presence of Luke beside him kept him from panicking. He realized he had absolutely no idea what time it was. It could be the middle of the night, or it could be almost sunrise; there was no way for him to know. And his bladder was getting insistent. He didn't want to wake Luke, especially if it was close to morning anyhow. Deciding that he ought to know his way around his own house, he crawled out of bed. // Hope Daisy ain't up yet!// he thought as he slowly made his way out to the hall and down to the bathroom, buck naked. Keeping one hand along the wall, it wasn't hard at all to find the bathroom. He pictured it in his mind's eye, and inched forward until his shins bumped against the toilet. Bending over, he lifted the seat and got his bearings. Hoping his aim would be at least close, he let loose and was gratified to hear the familiar splash as he hit the water. Feeling better now that he had managed this simple task on his own, he made it to the sink and washed up the mess Luke had left on his chest. He smiled as he remembered their lovemaking. With Luke beside him there wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Before opening the bathroom door, he took a minute to listen intently. Still no sounds from around the house. Not even anything from the animals outside. He wished he knew just how late � or early � it was. He realized that he wasn't sleepy at all. Considering that he'd slept all evening as well as however much of the night had passed, that wasn't all that surprising. He made his way back to their bedroom, smiling at the soft sounds of Luke's snores. As he crossed toward the bed, he stepped on the pile of discarded clothes. Not really wanting to go back to bed, he reached down and fished a pair of jeans out of the pile. He wasn't sure whose they were, but figured he had a 50/50 shot. They fit well enough, although from the way the bottoms hit his ankles, he figured they were Luke's. He had a feeling his cousin wouldn't mind. Bolder now, he made his way toward the living room. Finding the doorway wasn't difficult. But standing there he realized he'd have to cross 'open floor' to get to that big old comfy chair he loved. He knew that if he got turned around, he'd never find his way back. Fear and uncertainty gripped him, momentarily freezing him in his tracks. But then his determination kicked in, and he began slowly inching across the room. After what seemed an eternity, he felt the worn fabric of the chair under his fingers. With a sigh, he sank down. At first, everything seemed utterly still, perfectly quiet. But as he sat there he began to catch the small sounds; the occasional soft creaking of the house itself. The call of a night bird outside. Within the still, quiet of the night, it turned out there was a virtual symphony of sounds, if you just bothered to listen. After a little while, another sound blended in: the wind. It started soft, but quickly grew into a howl. Shortly it was joined by the 'splat' sounds of a heavy rainfall. When the first crack of thunder came, Bo practically jumped out of the chair. He realized that usually you had the flash of lightning to warn you that thunder was coming; now he had no warning. Now, you might remember that Bo's folks died in that big storm back in '59 when he was just little. For a long time after that, he'd gotten real scared every time a storm came through. Even now, a really bad storm in the middle of the night could wake him and he'd be panicked. So you can imagine what it was like for him, sitting there alone in his darkness, with no warning before each threatening thunder clap. He pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them, trying to curl into as small a ball as possible as the fear wrapped around him. He desperately wanted to go back to the bedroom and curl up next to Luke, but he was so scared he couldn't picture the living room in his head. He wasn't sure which way to go. So he just huddled there in the chair, terrified. Luke woke with a start as a particularly loud thunderclap shook the house. The first thing he thought of was Bo's fear of storms. When he reached across the bed and realized he was alone, it was his turn to get scared. Where on earth had Bo gotten to? // OK, maybe he just got up to go to the bathroom or something.// He got up and glanced at the clock; 4AM. Nobody else would be up just yet. Not bothering to get dressed he crept out into the hall. No sign of Bo; the bathroom door was open. Getting more worried, he headed out toward the living room. With the storm, there wasn't even any moonlight to brighten the night. Not wanting to wake the others, he called out softly, "Bo? You out here?" Bo had been so caught up in his fear that he hadn't heard Luke's footsteps. "Luke?" he called back, his voice trembling. Luke could hear the fear in Bo's voice. Now that he knew where to look, he could just barely see Bo all curled up in that big old chair. Luke hurried over and wrapped his arms around Bo. "Shh � love, it's ok. It's ok. Come on, let's get back to bed." Still shaking, Bo let Luke lead him back to the bedroom. He couldn't get out of the borrowed jeans fast enough before crawling back into bed. But this time he slid over to what was usually Luke's side of the bed, so he could roll onto his good right side to face Luke. Luke took the hint and slid in next to him, pulling him close. He could feel Bo's whole body trembling, so he wrapped himself around Bo as much as he could, arms and legs. "Easy, love. Easy. It's ok, you're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." Luke's soft words and warm touch gradually penetrated Bo's fear-clouded mind, and he began to relax. The rain outside was forgotten in the rain of gentle kisses Luke placed over his face. As his heart calmed, he turned his head, trying to catch Luke's lips with his own. When they connected, it was long and sweet. Finally, Bo broke away. His hand caressed Luke's face. "Thanks, love." Luke hugged him tight. "Bo? What on earth were you doin' out there?" Bo sighed. "Woke up and had to go to the bathroom, then couldn't get back to sleep. Couldn't tell what time it was, didn't want to wake you if it was close to sunup. Hey, what time is it, anyhow?" Luke gave the clock another quick glance. "About 4:30. Still plenty of time before morning." "Oh, good �" Bo sighed. The panic attack had left him drained; a bit more sleep now sounded like a wonderful idea. He felt Luke shifting positions, rolling onto his back, then pulling Bo close again. Bo settled his head on Luke's shoulder and felt Luke pulling the covers back up over them. Safe now, he quickly fell asleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Far too soon, the morning sun streaming in the window woke Luke. He looked down at Bo sleeping peacefully beside him. He was tempted to let him sleep; Bo still needed the rest. But he didn't want Bo to wake up alone and not know for sure where everybody was. So reluctantly he shook Bo's shoulder. "Huh?" came the sleepy voice as Bo's' eyes fluttered open. Luke could see the moment Bo realized the darkness wasn't going away, and it nearly broke his heart. "Hey, Bo," he said softly. "I gotta get goin'. Didn't want you to wake up alone while I was gone �" "OK," Bo muttered sleepily. Luke chuckled softly and bent to give Bo a kiss before getting out of bed. Bo heard him quietly moving around the room getting dressed. It was weird not getting up with him, going out to do the morning chores. For the first time, Bo started thinking about what it would mean to be blind. What could he do to be of any use around here? It might be a nice break this morning, not having to get up, but what about tomorrow? Next week, next month? The doctor had said his sight should return in a week or so, but what if it didn't? He didn't like the idea of being helpless. In fact, the more he thought about it the more determined he was to show that he wasn't entirely helpless. After all, last night he'd gotten around the house ok until the storm made him panic. He wondered if Daisy was out in the kitchen, or if she'd gone out to take his place. A rumble from his stomach reminded him of Luke's comment last night that by this morning he'd be starving. He laughed as he realized that as usual Luke was right. //OK, I can do this, // he thought as he threw back the covers. Apparently Luke had picked up the clothes they'd thrown on the floor last night, because he couldn't find them. He made his way to his dresser and dug out some underwear and socks. Then to the closet for jeans and a shirt. He had no idea which shirt he was wearing, but he supposed it didn't really matter. Carefully, he headed out into the hallway, stopping again at the bathroom. After taking care of the necessities, he paused to splash some cold water on his face. It occurred to him that shaving was gonna be a bit difficult. But with typical Duke optimism, he decided that maybe it was time to try growing a beard. Problem solved. As he made his way toward the kitchen, he could hear Daisy singing softly to herself as she worked on breakfast. Smiling, he slipped in on the harmony line. The second voice startled Daisy, and she looked up. "Bo? What're you doin' up?" Bo laughed. "Daisy, I slept all afternoon yesterday and most of the night!" He could smell the sausages cooking, and his stomach let out a loud growl. "Think I'll grab me one of them sausages as an appetizer!" Not thinking, he reached for where he thought the frying pan would be to snag one. And got a rude surprise when Daisy pushed him away. "No! Bo, you gotta be careful! You just almost knocked them all over! You coulda got burned bad! And besides, they ain't done yet! Now you just go sit at the table and I'll bring you somethin' as soon as it's ready, ok?" Now, there's nothin' more dangerous than a female protecting her family. Bo and Luke usually thought of it as their job to protect Daisy, but now all of a sudden the tables were turned, and Bo wasn't at all sure he liked it. He could tell from her voice that Daisy was mighty upset, so he let her lead him over to the kitchen table. When Bo followed meekly, Daisy realized she might have over-reacted just a bit. As he got settled, Daisy bent down and hugged him. "Sorry, Bo. I didn't mean to scare you �" Bo sighed. "S'ok, Daisy. I guess I was gettin' a little cocky there. I just don't want to be a burden to y'all �" "Oh, sweetie, you're not. This is just temporary, I know it. Think of it as a little vacation. Relax and enjoy it while you can!" Bo laughed. Daisy really did always see the bright side of things. He nodded. "OK, I'll try. Suppose you could get me a cup of coffee?" "Sure thing, cousin." Daisy gave him a last hug, then bustled off to get his coffee. Continue on to Chapter 3 Send me some feedback Back to the Other Fandoms Index Back to Jade Palace Home Disclaimer: I don't own them, just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Ch 2 |