Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening.
Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I made up the names of the other drivers, but I don't own the Duke boys, not the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
It's Cold, Part One
Luke entered the room cautiously, he wasn't quite certain of the baby yet, it seemed to be screaming a great deal, that was for sure. Jesse told him that all babies screamed a lot, that he had as well when he was that little. Everyone else thought the baby was cute though, and Daisy though it looked a lot like one of her dolls. Luke wasn't to sure about that, maybe it was cute enough when it laughed, or smiled, but when it screamed. He was a bit afraid that he would end up hurting it. The baby was hardly a year old, it crawled around on the floor, and Luke was afraid he would trip over it, or step on it. You never knew where it crawled off to, suddenly it was just there. Not to mentioning how everything it ever got its small hands on went straight into his mouth, so Luke and Daisy had to be careful not to leave any small things around. It had already near choked on a few things, even if uncle Jesse and aunt Martha claimed that was normal for babies, putting everything in their mouth, he wasn't sure if he liked it. Not to mention the mess he made when eating, why couldn't babies eat without getting food all over their faces?
Now it was screaming again, aunt Martha had put it down in the crib as she did every afternoon, for an afternoon nap, only the child woke up screaming, and aunt Martha was outside hanging the laundry. Luke debated whatever to get her or not, but he decided he could at least try and figure out why it was screaming first. He headed into their bedroom where the crib was, when it was a little older it would share Luke's room, he wasn't sure what he thought about that, but he guessed it wouldn't be so bad when it was older, not as long as it stopped screaming.
Now he approached the crib. The baby lay there, tiny arms flailing, and occasionally kicking out with a leg. The baby blanket lay at his feet, and Luke brought it up to cover him with it again.
"Why are ya screaming like that for?" He asked, more for the point of it then so because he expected to get an answer. Then again, shortly after he had covered him up with the blanket again, the baby settled down a bit, not screaming, but merely whining a bit. "Huh, all of that screaming just cause ya were cold?" Luke asked baffled, babies really were strange.
"Luke!"
The high pitched baby whine woke Luke up out of his sleep. Bo was almost two now, always running around, and he could talk well enough Luke supposed. He was at least considered old enough to share Luke's room, but he still slept in a child's bed with higher sides to keep him from climbing out. He supposed that he didn't really mind, Bo was a lot better now that he didn't always cry and scream all the time. He laughed a lot, and he was kind of cute and cuddly. Sometimes he woke up in the night though, either with bad dreams, or he wanted something else. Part of the time Luke just went and got his aunt or uncle, but sometimes he took care of it himself.
"Is, cold." The baby boy informed Luke, he was standing up in his bed, looking over at where Luke slept. "Cold," he repeated again.
"It ain't cold if you lay down and pull the covers up." Luke told him sleepily, Bo wore an old pajamas that aunt Martha had sewn for Luke when he was that little. He didn't think it should be that cold, he certainly wasn't cold.
"Is cold," Bo insisted, whining a bit more.
"Okay, okay." Luke sighed as he crawled out of bed, he took another soft baby blanket out of the closet. "Now lie down." He told his baby cousin, Bo did as he was told, and Luke tucked him in again. First his cover and then the baby blanket, that should keep him warm enough.
"Thank you." Bo's whole small face lit up with the smile. "Hug," he beamed at Luke, holding up his small arms for Luke. It was really awkward to try and hug him when he was far down in the bed, but Luke leaned as far over the edge as he could, and hugged him the best possible. He then smiled as Bo squirmed around a bit, found the teddy bear and placed it in his cousins arms, then he went back to his own bed. He liked the baby a whole lot better now that he was bigger.
"Luke, it's cold."
Luke turned around to look at his three year old cousin who was trailing behind him.
"Where's you jacket?" He asked, when they had walked out to play aunt Martha had put on a jacket on the boy, and told him not to take it off, but Bo never listened to those warnings. He'd take it off if he felt warm, and then he didn't always know where it was.
Now he looked around himself as if he expected to find it there next to him on the ground.
Luke sighed, "when did you take it off?" he asked.
"When I chased the chickens." Bo's face lit up, he loved chasing the chickens around the farm.
"Ya ain't supposed to take it off, and ya ain't supposed to chase the chickens either." Luke pointed out. "Now, if ya cold, ya had better get back there, get ya jacket and put it on again, and stop chasing them chickens."
"But it's fun." Bo objected.
"I don't care if ya think it's fun, ya ain't supposed to do it, an' if ya gonna be following me around, ya can't just take off ya jacket and then come complaining that its cold."
Bo nodded as he spoke, but Luke was pretty sure that it all went in one ear and out the other. Bo just couldn't be made to think ahead, that was why Luke was always asked to keep an eye on him. Make sure that he didn't walk away from the farm, as he near had a time or two. Trying to follow some bird, or some other creature. Bo could take off following an ant if he felt like it.
Luke sighed again, "okay, lets go and pick up ya jacket then." He decided. Sure enough, it lay in the middle of the yard where Bo had been chasing the chickens, Luke picked it up, shook off the dust, and helped the boy to get it on again.
"Luke, I'm cold."
Bo had such a surprised expression on his face that Luke couldn't help but laughing. The four year old was standing there, dripping water. Since they were playing with some home made boats, really just a chunk of bark and a small stick, in the creak Luke had told him to be careful. Of course Bo leaned further and further out over the water though, the whole time until he fell in that was. Then he crawled back up on the bank, not crying or screaming, but looking down at the water streaming from his clothes, and stated how he was cold.
Of course he was, the water was cold. When Luke laughed however, then his lower lip began to tremble slightly. "Luke." He whined.
"I'm not laughing at ya Bo." Luke assured him. "But I did tell ya to be careful, now didn't I?"
"Ah, was careful." Bo objected. "Was really, was just that the boat wasn't, an' I had to get it like."
"Sure Bo, sure." Luke smiled, it seemed they wouldn't play anymore today. If Bo played in those wet clothes, he would catch a cold for sure, they had better head back to the house so he could get warm and dry again. Aunt Martha wouldn't be surprised, it wasn't the first time Bo had tumbled into the creek, and he had done it himself a time or two as well. "Come on then, time to get home."
He started off towards the house, and Bo trudged along after him, laughing at the squishing sound his boots made when he walked.