A/N: Hey there! Anakin's Girl here with another Blinded update for you! Unfortunalty this story will soon be finishing but another project is in the works for me I promise :) I hope you like this chapter, written by moi and checked over by Candylovin' as always. We are really enjoying working on this and hope you are having as much fun reading it :) Read and Reveiw! Love ya all. xx

Bo gasped and coughed as what little breathe he had in his lungs was forced out of him by the fall into the hard terrain and then Luke's consequent tumble onto his chest. He looked up alert through watery eyes and saw Jason advancing on them quickly, as he had seen over Luke's shoulder before the fall, with Luke's beloved pocket knife clutched in his hand. Luke was lying on top of Bo, conscious or winded like himself Bo wasn't sure, but definitely still showing no signs of noticing Jason.

Through a foggy mind from his own bump on the head, Bo made a split second decision and kicked out his long legs with the last bit of energy he managed to desperately draw from somewhere inside him. The last thing Bo saw of Jason that brought a weak satisfied smirk to his face, was his angry expression turn into first a grimace of pain then a look of shock as he stumbled back and tumbled down the hill, straight into Rosco and Enos' waiting arms.

As things got more hazy, his vision blurring and sounds all starting to mix together in his ears, Bo felt Luke finally roll off him and saw him sat up dazed out the corner of his eye. Somewhere, Bo could hear Luke calling his name but he just couldn't answer as he felt his chest get tighter and he struggled to draw breath into his lungs. He could hear voices that sounded far away calling out to both him and Luke but more importantly, he could see Luke's blurred and bloody yet anxious face hovering above his own. He could feel Luke's hand gripping his in a tight, supportive hold and it brought a small smile to his face before he gave in to the blackness he had been fighting….finally, his older brother was back.

Luke sat anxiously beside Bo's bed, holding his younger cousin's hand in his as he massaged the limp knuckles softly. Bo's head had been stitched and bandaged up, the same applying to Bo's wrists that had been badly sprained, bruised and cut by the impact of the chains when he was pushed into the well. An oxygen mask also rested over Bo's nose and mouth to aid him in his breathing.

Ever since Bo was born, he had suffered from asthma and the abuse his lungs had suffered had resulted in that condition flaring up again. Bo had suffered a cross between a much delayed panic attack and an asthma attack by the lake, striking a deep fear in Luke that he was about to watch his baby brother die once more in his arms. Luckily, the ambulance crew had kept Bo breathing all the way to the hospital and so here Luke was, running everything that had happened over and over in his head while he waited for Bo to shake off the effects of the concussion and the sedative he had been given to clam his body. Looking at him laying still in the bed…Luke had never felt guiltier.

How could he have ever trusted Jason over his own family? Bo was not just a cousin, he was Luke's best friend, brother, secret keeper and confider all rolled into one person. He knew Bo had been jealous of how much Luke was confiding in Jason, but Luke was now kicking himself for ever thinking that Bo would let that get in the way of Luke's happiness. When Jud Kane – Luke's biological brother – had rolled into town, Luke was sure at the time that he could see a flicker of jealousy in Bo's blue eyes…but Bo had never uttered a word and seemed to embrace Jud with open arms. As long as Luke was happy and safe, Bo could adjust and let things be and visa versa should the situation be reversed. So why this time was Luke so blinded? For the first time he could remember in a long time…Luke couldn't think of a logical answer besides the fact he was an ignorant fool.

A small groan quickly snapped Luke from his thoughts. He stood up quickly and gripped Bo's hand a little tighter as he softly encouraged Bo back to consciousness. He smiled softly as finally the younger man slowly blinked open dazed blue eyes.

"Well hey there…" Luke said softly, the small smile remaining on his face.

Bo rolled his aching head slowly towards where he could hear Luke's voice coming from; smiling a little in return as he finally caught sight of his older cousin and rasped out quietly behind the mask.

"Hey…"

Luke sighed and, with a show of tenderness that only those Luke really was close to got to see, gently ran a hand through Bo's blonde curls, asking with a definite concerned tone.

"How you feelin' cuz?"

Bo couldn't help but smile a little more and responded in as light a tone as his throat and chest would let him muster.

"Like the mornin' after the night before…'cept this time the night before consisted of hittin' my head an' near drownin'…"

Luke chuckled with relief that at least Bo was alright enough to be able to joke about what had happened already. The doctors had warned him that there could be many mental repercussions of the events that had taken place, and to be ready in case any of those showed immediately. From the way Bo was talking, it didn't sound like that was going to be a problem.

"Good t'see yer sense of humour ain't been affected none..."

Bo could only nod slightly and carefully, talking being just a little too hard to continue doing at the moment. Not because of his chest – his breathing definitely felt better than before – but because of his sore throat and the fact that he didn't quite know what to say.

Biting his lip gently, Luke fidgeted a little in the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon the room and hung his head. He knew what they had to talk about…and he also knew that the longer they put it off, the harder it would be to talk about it as they both moved on.

"Bo…" He murmured softly as he raised his head again, swallowing. "Bo I'm…I know what I did to you hurt…bad…and…I'm so sorry cousin…"

If anyone had walked into the room then, they would have practically heard the guilt dripping from Luke's heartfelt words and would have been able to see the worry and fear lying behind Luke's dark blue eyes and it certainly wasn't lot on Bo. Luke may never shed tears as easily as Bo could, but those deep blue oceans could speak volumes to Bo from just one look…right now…Luke's eyes cried for him though they didn't shed a single drop of water. Squeezing Luke's hand in his, Bo sighed before saying softly.

"Luke…it's alright…I understand what you did and why…"

A frown came across Luke's face as he looked to his younger cousin again, cocking his head to the side a little.

"You do?!

Bo nodded softly and if Luke was honest with himself, he wasn't really that surprised about it. Bo knew him better than he knew himself and could usually read Luke like an open book.

"D…Do you think…maybe...you could explain it to me?"

Now it was Bo's turn for a confused frown to pass across his face…to say he was surprised by Luke's request was an understatement…it was very very rare that Luke needed an explanation for anything…in fact Bo couldn't really remember the last time…it had probably been in school or something.

"You mean…you don't know?"

Luke shook his head as he looked down at the floor again…for some reason that was far more interesting than looking at his injured younger cousin apparently…it was just too hard to look at the innocent man in font of him who he had once swore to spend his life protecting and looking after.

"All I can think about is how much of a stupid, inconsiderate, foolish jackass I've been…"

Bo bit his lip behind the mask gently, nodding a little.

"Well…the…the way I see it…is that you found…found someone who you could confide and share…all the secrets you's had t'keep about…the most horrific…event of your life with. It relieves a burden from yer mind that…you've been…carryin' fer ages…"

He had to stop as he coughed softly against his scratchy throat, breathing a little harshly as his lungs were still weakened. Luke meanwhile didn't say anything as he pondered what Bo had told him…he supposed it was true…the time he had spent with Jason had allowed him to release much of the tension he still felt about what he had seen and endured back then from his mind. But at the same time, he couldn't use it as an excuse and forgive himself for forgetting what Jason was really like.

"Luke…"

The older boy looked up from Bo's hand as he heard Bo call his name.

"Yeah?"

"What…what happened…between you an' Jason..."

Luke sighed softly and sat back in his chair, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck a little.

"We weren't always enemies…in fact the first time we met…he saved my life…I guess that's why I accepted him so quick when he turned up…something like that can…well it makes an impact…"

Bo swallowed softly, his head resting against the stark white hospital pillows as he listened. It was rare that Luke ever shared something about what had happened to him in 'Nam, so when the opportunity arose, Bo listened intently.

"It was in my second year there…before I became a Sergeant…they needed a team to go and infiltrate an enemy base and rescue some of our men…"