Author's note: This is an extension to Sittin' Dukes. I made a few changes to the end of the episode. The fire wasn't so kind on Bo Duke. This story uses the background story of Bo having asthma. I read somewhere that this came from the fact that John Schneider had asthma and hence many fanfiction writers liked to write this into the character. That's what I'm doing. So basically, the Dukes didn't get a good night's sleep that night.

(Italics is dialogue straight from the episode.)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Sittin' Dukes

They were out of the fire, but Luke didn't like the sound the cough coming from his cousin. He knew he shouldn't have driven through the fire when he knew Bo had asthma as a boy. The lung disease had restricted Bo when he was a boy, but midway through high school it had gone into remission and it hadn't raised it's ugly head since. Luke liked to think that Bo's excitable and carefree personality came from that restriction. Once it had gone into remission, Bo lived life like he was given a second chance. He wouldn't take his new found freedom for granted and Luke loved Bo even more if it were possible. He looked over to Bo worriedly as he coughed again. He was going to make Benson pay for this. His thoughts were interrruped by Benson.

"Okay, Luke, stop the car." Benson ordered with the gun in his hand.

"Here?" Bo didn't like the idea any more than Luke did.

"You heard me. Don't try and win any medals 'cause you ain't ever gonna get to wear them. Now get out of the car. One at a time," Bo coughed to try and clear his lungs again before looking at Luke. Luke nodded for him to do as Benson said. "and ah move over the edge of the road there...slow and easy." Hicks got out after Bo.

"I'm goin'" Bo snapped when Hicks shoved him.

"No cop cars," Hicks looked in the air, "No choppers."

"Not yet, but they'll be comin'." Benson told him, and then smiled when he heard a car coming towards them. "And so's the other set of wheels we're going to be needing." He gestured to the ground with his gun, looking at Bo. "Lie down there." He ordered.

"What?" Bo choked out, looking very confused.

"You're going to pretend that you're hurt." Benson said.

"Better do what he says, Bo or you won't have to pretend." Luke urged his cousin, not wanting him to get hurt. Bo still looked confused but he slowly got down on the ground.

"Now Hicks, get down there and you make it look good, you hear me?" Hicks put his gun away and got down in front of Bo, who was stilling trying to clear his point the gun at Luke, "Back up there. Put your hands down." Luke did as he was told, feeling very frustrated at not being able to do anything as Benson waved down another victim and then pulled the gun on him. "Get out of the car." He opened the door impatiently, "Come on!"

Hicks got up thinking his job was finished and turned his back on Bo. Luke saw that Benson was busy holding the gun on his newest hostage and took his chance, punching Benson in the face. Bo grabbed Hicks by the ankles tripping him up, but as he tried to get away, Hicks tripped him back. They struggled on the dirt road as Luke struggled to get the gun from Benson. He was doing well until the old man decided to help and punched Luke instead. "Alright, hold it!" Benson was in control again. "Get up." He told Luke and then looked over at Hicks and Bo who were still rolling around the dirt. "All of you!" Hicks pulled Bo up and Bo knew it was useless to resist with Benson holding a gun on Luke.

"Alright, alright!" Bo said, frustrated and then looked at Hicks as if he were crazy when he went back to the car for Herman the cricket. Luke looked at Bo, concerned as Bo's coughing hadn't eased at all since they left the fire, but there was nothing he could do now.

"Well, I'm afraid this is where we're gonna say good-bye." Benson said as he aimed the gun and pulled back the hammer. "I'm finally gonna get even with you, Luke Duke. Hadn't been for you I'd still be in the marines. I'd have my stripes."

"You got your stripes, Benson. Only they run up and down." Luke goaded.

"Yeah, especially that big yellow one that goes up and down your back. That there's the one you get for shooting people who can't defend themselves." Bo said between a couple of coughs. Luke thought Bo's voice was starting to sound hoarse.

"You just keep running off at the mouth, boy!" He said as the stepped over to Bo. Bo took a couple of unvoluntary steps towards Luke.

"A man's got a right to speak his peace, ain't he?" Luke said as he tried to get the man's attention off his cousin. "I mean you are gonna to shoot him after you shoot me, ain't ya? Then probably this fella here and then, who knows, probably Herman the cricket."

Hicks refused to believe that. "Oh no. He...he wouldn't do that. Not to Herman."

"Sure he would, Hicks," Bo followed Luke's lead.

Luke nodded, "After he's done using you, he's probably gonna kill you too. Snakes turn on anybody even other snakes." Luke's voice was calm and deadly.

"Lee?" Hicks wasn't sure any more.

"Now, you got grits for brains, boy? Can't you see what they're trying to do? They're trying to turn us against each other here. Ain't that right, aye, Sargeant Duke?"

Luke just glared at him and continued talking in that same tone, "Benson ever tell ya why he got thrown into the brig? Busted into his best buddy's foot locker and was stealing the guy blind. Then when the guy walks in and catches him on it, Benson slips a knife up between his ribs. Real trustworthy pal he got there."

"Radio says you only got six months left in your sentence. You can soon kiss that good-bye, now. Let your buddy here talk you into escaping with him." Bo followed, even though he felt as if his throat was burning.

"Don't sound too bright to me." Luke sneered.

"Now you're gonna be stuck with a murder rap." The boys were taking turns in planting a seed of doubt in Hicks mind, and it was working.

"Alright, I've had enough outta you two." Benson could tell that they were getting to his partner.

"Well, I ain't" Hicks pulls his gun on Benson, "I know you think I'm real dumb, don't ya. Well, maybe I am. They're right, it wasn't smart busting out with you like that, but ain't nothing I can do about it now! But I'm not going back there. Not for killin' them!"Benson tried to reason with Hicks but stopped when Hicks shot out a tyre. "Now they stay! We got wheels. The cops will be looking for the orange car anyway, not the car we'll be driving."

"Yeah, and they'll be on the CB as soon as we take off." Benson was trying to find any reason he could to kill Luke.

"Oh, like hell they are!" Hicks yelled in frustration. He stomped over to the General and yanked out the transmitter, then stomped back over to Benson, pulling him towards their getaway car, "Would you come on?"

"I want him, Hicks! Especially Luke. I want him dead!" Benson pulled his arm out of Hicks's grip.

"No not if killing me means taking Herman and me with him. Now are you coming or not?" Hicks threatened him with the gun.

Luke and Bo held their breaths as they waited for Benson's answer. "Another time, Duke." Benson threatened before leaving. Luke rubbed his eyes in relief as they drove away. The relief was short lived though as Bo was taken over be a coughing fit. Luke turned to see Bo bent over with his hands on his knees, coughing so hard that even Luke's lungs started to hurt. He put a hand on Bo's back and Bo responded by putting his hand up, telling Luke to give him a minute. While this was happening, the other man with them passed out. Luke looked down at him.

"You're kidding me." Luke reached down to check his breathing and pulse before picking him up and carrying to the shade. He lowered the old man to the ground and once he saw that he was regaining consciousness, he turned back to Bo, who looked like he was getting control of his breathing again."You okay?" Bo stood back up, straight and wiped his eyes.

"Yeah." He winced as the word irritated his throat.

Luke didn't want to tell Bo what he planned to do, but he had to. "I'm going to get the spare tyre from the trunk."

Bo looked at him in surprise, although, he should know Luke well enough by now. "We ain't still going after him, are we?" Luke didn't like the sound of Bo's breathing.

Luke shook his head, "Not we," He told Bo, "Me. You stay here and wait for the police to arrive. Keep breathing in some fresh air and clear that lung."

"I ain't letting you go after them alone." Bo protested, supressing the urge of coughing again.

"You ain't coming with..."

"If I ain't going, you ain't!" Bo was determined not to let his cousin go after Benson without him, "And the longer we stand here arguing the further away they're getting." Bo pointed in the direction, Benson and Hicks had gone.

Luke clenched his jaw at Bo's stubbornness. "Fine, wait here while I get the tyre fixed." He didn't want Bo helping because he didn't want to risk Bo having another fit. Bo nodded. He tried to take deep breaths but he felt as if Boss Hogg was sitting on his chest. Bo rubbed his chest as he tried to control his breathing.

"Okay, let's go." Luke said and climbed in the driver's side of the General as Bo climbed in the other side. Luke sped off leaving a trail of dust behind them. As they were driving Bo looked up when he heard a chopper above them.

"Great, that chopper got no idea he's chasing the wrong car."

"We got no radio to tell him either." Luke grumbled, not liking the situation he were in as well as the fact that Bo was in it with him.

"Luke, what are we gonna do about him?" Talking was getting harder and harder for Bo. His voice was getting worse.

"I don't know, ain't you got no ideas." Luke was getting frustrated. Bo frowned at him. Everyone knew Luke was the one that came up with the ideas. They had no idea that their Uncle Jesse and company had already helped them with that problem. They kept driving and still they hadn't caught up with Benson and Hicks yet.

"Shoot, Luke, we ain't never gonna catch'em." Bo paused to clear his throat but all it served to do was irritate it more, "They're probably out of the dang state by now." Bo croaked, deflated.

"I'm gonna cut up on Hightop road. Maybe we can spot. Ain't got nothing to lose." It was the only thing Luke could think of. He wanted this chase to be over so that Bo could get the help he needed.

"Unless those men up in the helicopter decide to use us as target practice." Bo told him, not liking their odds.

Luke smiled as he spotted the car. "There they are."

"Well great, but how are we gonna stop them. They have guns remember?" Bo was usually more confident in Luke and his plans, but there didn't seem to be much of a plan here.

"We just drop in on them. Hang on!" Luke jumped the General off the edge of the road and landed it right on top of Benson's car, effectively stopping Benson and themselves.

"Nice shot." Bo choked, before another coughing fit took him over. Luke watched on helplessly as his cousin coughed uncontrollable. He was glad they had caught Benson and Hicks but at what cost.

"It's okay, Bo." Luke said as he put a hand on Bo's shoulder. "Help should be here soon." Bo nodded as he continued coughing. Luke smacked his hand across the steering wheel. His plan had gotten Benson and Hicks caught but also left him and Bo stuck in the General. After five long minutes Bo put his head back and tried to take in some much needed air.

"Better?" Luke asked him. Bo nodded as a chopper could be heard in the distance. "Stay here." Luke climbed out of the General and onto the roof. He waved his arms at the chopper. He knew they wouldn't shoot at him because he was no longer trying to get away. The chopper landed about 10 metres from them and two police officers got out, pointing their guns at him.

"Keep your hands where I can see them." One of them called out over the noise from the chopper. Luke did as he was told. He could see that the two policemen were confused by what they were seeing.

"Benson and Hicks are in the car under this one." Luke explained and then grinned as he could see his uncle's pick-up coming towards him. He laid down on his front and leaned over the roof to look through the window. "Bo! Uncle Jesse's..." He froze when he saw how much trouble his cousin was having breathing. Luke scrambled to get himself back through the window, while calling out to anyone that could hear him, "Call an ambulance!" As soon as he got inside he put a hand on Bo's shoulder. It's been a while since he had helped Bo with any kind of breathing problem. Bo had a hand on the dashboard, his head down and an arm around his waist. Luke could hear the wheezing in his breathing, telling him that Bo's airways were tightening. "Bo, listen to me." Fear cause his chest to clench when Bo looked at him with panic in his eyes, but he pushed it away because it was not what Bo needed right now. "I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay."

"Luke, what in tarnations is going on in there?" Jesse was yelling. The police had unarmed Benson and Hicks and cuffed them but they needed the fire brigade to come and cut them out of the car.

Luke stuck his head out long enough to yell back, "Bo's asthma's back!" before turning back to Bo. He gently pushed Bo back against the car seat. "Bo, listen to me, you have to relax. I know it's scary but you can't panic, it'll just make it worse. Relax your shoulders and neck. Don't fight for the air. Just relax your shoulders and then breathe in slowly through your nose." Luke remembered doing this when Bo woke up from a nightmare and triggered his asthma. The doctor had taught them all how to handle a situation like this when, for some reason, they didn't have Bo medication. "You can do it. Remember?" Bo looked at him and then nodded. He closed his eyes and thought about the fishing hole Bo and Luke liked so much. It was a place they had gone to since Bo was nine. It was the place Bo always thought of during the days when the lung disease restricted Bo in so many ways. Luke could feel Bo's shoulders relax. Bo breathed in through is nose and then released it through a small hole he made with his mouth. Luke relaxed a little when Bo's breathing seemed to ease, but he knew it wouldn't last long because there was still smoke in Bo's lungs. He prayed that the ambulance he called for would come soon.

"Luke! The ambulance is almost here!" Jesse called out. He was shocked to the bones when Luke had told him that Bo's asthma was back. He had thought those days were over. Jesse stepped up to Benson and said in a low voice, "If anything happens to my boy, prison will be the least of your worries." Daisy gasped when she heard her uncle's threat. It was something Luke would say or Bo, but never her uncle, who never believed in revenge. Daisy pulled her uncle back from Benson, who was leaning away from the angry man, and hugged him.

"Bo will be okay, Uncle Jesse." She had never heard her uncle threaten someone like that, but she understood why. The years Bo had been sick, the whole family was on edge. Each time they planned anything, they had to take the asthma into account. They would never travel anywhere that wasn't close to a medical centre, in winter they had to be careful of the cold air and in spring they had to worry about the pollen. The day the doctor told them Bo's asthma had gone into remission, it was a lift off all their shoulders, not only Bo's. But the best thing about it was how boisterous Bo could be. The asthma had held Bo's carefree nature at bay, but once it was gone, Bo became the most lovable and caring person they knew and strangely enough, it made them even more protective of him. They wanted him to always be this way, but now, because of a stupid ex-army murderer, Bo may never be the same again.

The ambulance pulled up and the paramedics jumped out. They looked at the cars in confusion. How were they suppose to help them? Luke poked his head out of the car window. "We need oxygen in here. My cousin's having an asthma attack." The paramedics nodded and grabbed a small oxygen tank with an oxygen mask. They climbed up the side of the car and handed the tank to Luke.

"Put the mask over his nose and mouth and get him to breathe in and out slowly."

Luke grabbed it and quickly held the mask over Bo's mouth. "Slow breaths, Bo." Luke waited until he could see colour come back to Bo's face. "It's getting better." He told the paramedic.

"We should get him to the hospital to get checked out. Any idea on how to get you down from here?" He asked Luke. Luke thought about that. He was going to wait for a tow truck but he realised that Cooter had arrived with his uncle. "Excuse me," He said to the paramedic when he stuck his head out the window. "Hey Cooter!"

"Yeah, Luke. Great parking job. Next time make sure there ain't no car there first." Cooter joked.

"You're real funny, Cooter. You think you can use Uncle Jesse's pick up to get us down from here?"

"Yeah, was just about to." Cooter said as he went to get the chain from Jesse's pick up and proceeded to attach the back of the General to the back of the pick-up.

Luke turned back to Bo. "How are you feeling?"

Bo pulled down the mask. "Better."

"Good." Luke said as he pushed the masked back up. Bo leaned his head back as he started getting his breathing under control. He was so scared when he couldn't get enough air, but that wasn't the only reason. He kept hearing Luke say that word he hated so much, "asthma". Bo thought that part of his life was over. He remembered the doctor telling him that it's possible for it to come back later in his life, but Bo didn't want to think about that. Since the doctor had told him that his asthma was gone, Bo was so ecstatic that he promised himself that he would enjoy each and every day from that day forward. He wasn't going to waste his life, by worrying about a relapse. "It's going to be fine, Bo. I know I've been telling everyone that you're having an asthma attack, but I could be wrong. It may just be the smoke causing problems for you because you had asthma. Don't worry about it until the doctor checks you out, okay?" Luke said as if reading Bo's mind. Bo tried to smile behind the mask, making Luke ruffle his hair affectionately. The car rocked then and Bo jumped and looked around. "Take it easy, Bo. It's just Cooter getting us down. Brace yourself." After a lot of loud noise and five minutes later, the General Lee was finally back on the ground and Bo was out of the General and loaded into the ambulance. "Daisy, can you take the General? I'm gonna ride with Bo." Daisy nodded and watched with her uncle as the ambulance disappeared around the bend.

---

Bo was doing much better by the time he had arrived at the hospital, but Dr Jordan wanted Bo to stay over night for observation due to Bo's medical history. He had already under gone a chest x-ray and blood test to check if the smoke inhalation was the problem. Tomorrow morning Bo would being doing a series of test to see if his asthma was really back. Until then, the only thing the family could do was wait. Luke stayed with Bo at the hospital while Jesse and Daisy left for the night and said they would come back tomorrow to support him when he got his results.

The next morning Bo was doing lung capacity tests while his family waited for him in his room. They were waiting in silence. They would know the verdict once Bo got back from the tests. Luke was pacing the room while Jesse was sitting on the couch rubbing his hands together nervously. Daisy was biting the bottom of her lips. They jumped up when the door opened and Bo walked in with a nurse. He thanked the nurse and sat down on the bed, leaning back and closing his eyes. He knew his family was watching him. They were waiting anxiously for news but didn't want to rush him, in case it was bad news. He smiled, but his eyes remained closed when he said, "Doc says it wasn't asthma." He laughed as his family cheered and then "Ooof!" when three bodies landed on him. "Just because I don't have asthma, doesn't mean you can knock the air out of me." He joked.

"You scared me when you came in. You looked so down." Daisy smacked his shoulder.

Bo rubbed his shoulder. "I convinced the doctor to let me tell you. Thought it would be fun after the night we all had."

"Fun for you! Scared us half to death!" Luke swiped him over the head.

"You do that to me again and I'll tan your hide." Jesse grumbled.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry I scared you," then more cheekily, "but you have to admit, it was fun!" They just shook their heads and laughed. "Doc said I can go home any time now, but should take it easy until my lungs recover from the smoke."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Luke said as he threw Bo his clothes. "Let's get out of here." Bo pulled on his jeans before taking off his hospital gown and then put on his shirt. Luke had the door open. "Let's go home."

"Wait!" Bo called before they were out the door. They turned around and looked at him, waiting. "I just wanted to tell y'all, thank you."

"For what?" Luke frowned.

"For taking care of me all those years I had asthma."

Daisy had an amused expression, "Bo, that was years ago."

"I know but I don't think I ever said thank you for everything y'all did. I just accepted it all as a part of my life. I know it wasn't easy on any of you." Bo explained.

Jesse stepped up to Bo. "Bo, you don't need to thank us. We see how thankful you are everyday. I know that you never take any day for granted because of what you've been through when you were a boy. That's all the thanks we need."

Bo hugged his uncle. "I was so scared it came back." He whispered in his uncle's ear.

"I know, I know." Jesse choked, he was just as scared, but he wasn't about to let his boy know that.

Luke stood at the door watching his cousin and uncle share a private moment when Bo looked up at him. He let his uncle go and walked up to Luke, pulling him into an embraced. "Thank you for still remember what to do. Thank you for always have my back."

"We're Dukes. We'll always have each others backs." Luke returned the hug. "Now let's go home. Can't stand seeing a grown man cry." A short chuckle burst out from Bo. Leave it up to Luke to break the moment. He let Luke go and put his arm around Daisy's shoulder, pulling her close, before walking out the door. "What's for lunch? I'm starved."

"Is that all I'm good for." Daisy pouted and then grinned when Bo kissed her on the head.

"You're good for a lot things, Daisy, but right now, lunch is all I can think of. Ask me again after lunch." Bo jumped and giggled when Daisy poked him in the ribs, but he didn't let her go.

They left the hospital, thankful that it was just a big scare and life was back to normal for their family.

The end!