Happy
"Honey, are you ready to
take my list to the supermarket? So we'll have everything we need for thanksgiving
dinner." Candy asked her husband who stood next to the table where she was
working on a new song.
"I sure am little darling.
There is only one thing I've got to do first." Bo placed a finger to her
chin and raised her head, then kissed her. He smiled as her pale cheeks turned a
rosy pink. After all this time, they were still like teenagers.
"I'm going to lay down with
little Bo till the girls get home."
"Ok, I'll see you when I
get back."
An hour later Bo finds the house
quiet when he comes home and sets the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter.
He figures Candy and the baby are still napping and the two girls are playing
quietly in their room. He quickly put the things that need refrigerated away
and left the canned goods on the counter.
Then he walked through the
living room and to the master bedroom. He picked up his son and hugged him.
"Taking good care of your
mama are you?" He asked. The baby
smiled. Bo then bent down to kiss Candy who had not woken up yet. He put little
Bo in the crib a few feet away and came back over to Candy. He sat on the bed
next to her and gently shook her shoulders. "Darling, wake up."
Then he placed two fingers on
her wrist. His eyes widened upon counting the very faint pulse. "Candy,
please don't be gone. Me and the kids love and need you. Please let her be
alright, God." He prayed outloud.
He was startled by Luke, Karen
and the girls coming in the room at that moment. Bo brought his hands to his
face to wipe the tears that had began to spill down his cheeks onto his red t
shirt. "She won't wake up."
Luke patted his shoulder.
"Move over so Karen can check her." He said gently. Karen placed an
ear to Candy's chest. The beats were strong and seemed normal. It was quiet as
the nurse checked Candy's pulse and opened her eyelids to verify her suspicion.
She turned to the two men. "We need to get her to the hospital, she's in a
coma from what I can tell."
"Is momma gonna die,
daddy?" Honeybee asked while Bo and Luke got Candy up from the bed.
"I hope not baby, I hope
not."
Two days went by and Mrs. Bo
Duke did not come out of the coma. All Doc Appleby could tell the family was
either she would or wouldn't, there wasn't anything the hospital could do.
"Why don't you go home to
eat and get some rest," Luke urged his youngest cousin who had not left
his wife's hospital room. He had been between here and the farm where Karen was
taking care of Bo and Candy's children.
"I know you mean well
cousin, but I just can't leave her. What if she wakes up and I am not here. What
if… she dies? I don't know if I can bare to lose my
Candy Cane." Bo's eyes misted up and tears started to run down his cheeks.
"What will me and the kids do if she never wakes
up?"
"It's all in the good Lord's
hands."
"Uncle Jesse always told us
that."
"Yep- you know where I will
be if you need anything." Luke walked to the door to leave.
"See ya later," Bo
called just before the door shut behind his oldest cousin. Then he took Candy's
right hand and pressed it gently against his left cheek. "I don't care how
long it takes, I'll stay right here until you wake up.
I promise you, my sweet Candy Cane."
Three days later it was the day
before Thanksgiving and there was no sign of Candy coming out of her condition.
"What are we going to do
about tomorrow?" Karen asked.
"Jesse always said even
when times are bleak, you always give thanks for the things you have."
"Your uncle was a dear
man."
"Yeah, he was." Luke
replied.
About that time, Rosco showed up
at the hospital. "I'm sorry. Candy is such a sweet girl."
"Thank you Rosco, it's very
kind of you to you stop by."
"Just doin' my job- how are
the kids?"
"They seem to be ok, Luke
and Karen have been staying with them." Bo smiled for a second.
Later that evening, Bo prayed
again. "God, please let her wake up. If you want to take someone, let it
be me instead, please. She's never hurt anyone in her whole life. Little Bo is just
a baby. He needs her just as much as the girls and I do. I know that I'm no
angel but you've got to believe me when I tell you I love her. I always have
and always will."
"I love you too, darling."
He was startled for a moment
until he glanced at Candy. "You're awake! You're awake, thank god. Yeehaw!" A big smile came over his face as the nurse
peeked in the door. He embraced Candy and held her tight listening to the nurse
yell for the doctor to come to the room.
Doc Appleby arrived seconds
later to see Bo and Candy hugging like they would never let go. But they had to
since Doc needed to exam her. Bo went to wait outside in the hall while that happened.
"Your heart and lungs sound
good," Doc told them when Bo came back in. "I think whatever it was is gone."
"I'm feeling fine, when can
I go home to my babies?" Candy asked.
"We'll wait till morning
and if everything is normal. I'll let you go home for thanksgiving." Doc
Appleby replied and took the chart that was at the end of the bed.
"Is she going to be
ok?" Bo questioned.
Doc looked up from the chart and
smiled. "I think so, just make sure she takes it
easy."
"I sure will- thank you for
saving her." Bo held a hand out toward the doctor.
Doc extended his and they shook.
"You don't have to thank me. That was a miracle."
The next afternoon the Duke
family and several friends were gathered at the farm out on
"Candy, it's good to have
you home again." Bo said after they were about half way through the meal.
"It's good to be
home." Candy agreed and picked up a napkin to wipe little Bo's face off.
Luke smiled. "It just shows
how strong loving someone can be."
"Your right, darling."
Karen took another slice of the homemade bread from the basket next to the
turkey platter.
"It's mighty nice of y'all
to invite me over," Rosco commented.
"You are part of this family,"
Daisy smiled and put another piece of pumpkin pie on his plate.
"Daddy, we promise we'll
help momma out with little Bo more." Honeybee said from the kids table
where she and Tammy sat. The other little girl giggled. "Fluffy and Buffy
will help too."
"I love y'all so much I
really do." Candy wiped some tears from her eyes. Everyone else nodded in
agreement while Bo took that moment to kiss his wife.
Later that night after
everything had been cleaned up, Mr. and Mrs. Bo Duke snuggled close together.
"I love you so much."
"I love you too. The kids
and you are my whole life."
Candy's eyes twinkled. "Turn
out those lights."
"Are you tired?" Bo
grinned sheepishly.
"Turn out those lights and
I'll show you just how tired I am not."
Well, you know how in
Written by Juanita
Ford
Copyright 1999 All Rights
Reserved
