I Remember…

 

 

By:  TNRiverRat

 

Spoiler:

A Duke remembers the events of a terrible time, some twenty years ago, that end up changing his life forever…or do they.  Is it all a tragic flashback or could it be something else?  In Hazzard, you never know…

 

 

I Remember…

 

Chapter 1

 

Bo Duke, age 45

Early April, West Memphis, Arkansas

 

          I don’t know why, but things feel very strange.  Everything seems so hazy and disconnected, like I’m not really here.  I feel like I’m gradually losing my grip on reality.  I guess I’m finally going crazy, just like Luke always said…or most likely, it’s because I’ve been driving almost non-stop for three days and I’m exhausted.  I probably just need a hot shower and some sleep.

 

 ‘No…what I need to do is just get home!  I’ve wasted so many years and I need to get some shred of my old life back before I lose what’s left of my mind.  I have a real strong urge to talk about things, like I used to do with Luke and Uncle Jesse, all those years ago.  I need to tell someone why I have lived away from my family for so long…why I haven’t allowed myself to get attached to anyone.’

 

 I can’t exactly explain why I feel this way.  I just know that things could have turned out differently for me if not for one year in my life, just a few events…and that’s what I need to talk about.  I need to open my soul again.  I used to be able to open up, to talk about anything…but that was years ago, when I actually cared…No, I don’t want to think about that right now.  I don’t want to dredge up those old memories…but I have to.  If I don’t…well, I don’t know…  But I do know I have to get some of this off my chest before I get home and see Luke and Daisy.  I can’t unload all this on them at once!  I just wish Uncle Jesse was still there. I miss him…I miss them all so much. 

*************************************************************

 

I often think of how I’ve ended up at this place in my life.  It was more accident than anything else…’cause I sure didn’t plan it.  My career as a NASCAR driver has allowed me to travel the country and see more people than I could ever have imagined.  I’ve had my pick of the ladies and have had a few offers and opportunities to settle down.  But, there’s only one place I want to live out the rest of my life… Hazzard County, Georgia…and it would take a pretty special person to want to live there with me.  Hazzard’s been home for me as long as I can remember.  I’m on my way back there from a recent promotional race out west.  I could have flown into Atlanta and been there days ago; but I preferred to drive, as usual!  I need the extra time to settle a few things.  Things have changed a bit as I’ve grown older.  I still act like I always have; kinda wild as my cousins would say, but lately, I guess they’d say that I’mwantin’ to put down roots and finally grow up”.  Ha!  If they only knew how many years I have been trying to forget a time, years ago, when I was ready and willing to ‘put down roots’.  I’m ready now; I keep telling myself.  I’m so tired of running from what was and what could have been.  Maybe it’s time to let go a little and try to get some of my old life back. I pray that I can.

 

 

As I look out the windows of my latest vehicle, a fairly souped-up, if I do say so myself, red Dodge Ram truck, I can see that spring has come to the South and it’s a beautiful sight.  I take advantage of my country driving skills and steer clear of the Interstate if at all possible.  The trip will take longer, of course; but I don’t mind, I can use the time to think.  This time of year always makes me thoughtful and the fact that I have just crossed the Mississippi River into Tennessee brings back ghosts of old memories. I leave the busy traffic of Memphis and head through the backwoods of rural West Tennessee with a heavy mind.  I’ve decided that my next stop will be about two hours ahead; a sleepy little community on the banks of the Tennessee River, small enough to make Hazzard seem like the big city!  I haven’t been there in years; too many years…it took me awhile to get up the nerve to visit.  A lot of memories await me there…not so much the town but a certain person there.  She’s my reason for stopping…my reason for a lot of things over the years.  She’s the one I need right now.  I need to tell her everything…I need to know that she understands.

 

*************************************************************

Two hours later, Hardin County, Tennessee

 

 

As I drive down a lonely two-lane on this rainy April morning, I remember that I used to like spring.  My birthday is in the spring, so I had always felt that it was my special time of year. Watching the world waking up after the cold grip of winter always seemed to wake me up, too. All my life I had been impulsive and excitable; but warmer weather and the chance to get outdoors seemed to make me worse.  I looked forward to warm days spent working with my family, playing with friends, and getting into and out of trouble with my cousin, Luke.  I looked even more forward to the cool spring nights cuddled up in the General or the hayloft with which ever girl I was dating at the time! It even seemed to be more fun outrunning Rosco and his deputies when the landscape beyond our speeding car windows was alive and green. I loved getting outside, messing around with cars and working on the farm.  Spring was the time of year that the family farm came alive and the work load picked-up. The animals, the machinery, even the smell of the dirt made me feel …well…at home; for lack of a better phrase.  I mean …I liked racing, and was good at it; but, back then I truly felt I could stay on the old farm and scratch a living from the dirt, happily, for the rest of my life.  I knew my uncle thought otherwise, though.  He always thought my cousins and I wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibilities of full-time farming.  In his mind, we boys were “too wild to ever settle down” and Daisy would have a family and probably make her home elsewhere…

 

 

There I go, ramblin’ again…my mind’s wanderin’ so much I can hardly think straight.  Like I said, I used to like spring.  I can’t exactly say that now. Why? Why did I grow to hate this beautiful time of year that used to be so special to me?  It’s a long story. Seems too long, actually, to have only covered one awful, wonderful, terribly brief year of my life; but…a lot happened during that year.  That was the year my whole life got turned upside down.  I was scared to death that it would never be the same; then again, part of me didn’t really want it to be…and it hasn’t been.

 

 I remember pieces of it just like it were yesterday.  Most of that year… I wish I could just forget; but… there are a few sweet moments that I never want to forget.

 

(I hope she understands.  I pray I can let go of it all and move on.  I want to talk to her so badly…but I don’t want to see her like this…I don’t want to be here…but I have to be here! Damn it…this is drivin’ me crazy!)

 

Well, here I am and there she is, just like the last time I saw her.  I guess I’m ready to spill my guts. I probably should start at the beginning…God, has it really been twenty years?

 

 It all began in April, the year I turned twenty-five…

Chapter 2

Twenty years earlier,

An early April morning in Hazzard County, Georgia

 

          The bright spring morning began as any other in Hazzard.  Bo and Luke Duke were racing down a dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust, with Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane fast on their heels.  They had no idea why Rosco was chasing them, other than the fact that they were Dukes and they had blown past his new speed trap going at least ninety!  Around the next bend, Luke hollered “Watch it, Bo!” and braced himself.  Bo suddenly turned the wheel hard; sending the bright orange muscle car into a tight turn, in order to avoid old Mr. Sloan (who had chosen that particular road to transport his wagon-load of hay).  The sheriff was unable to react as quickly to the surprised mules and their driver in his path.  Rosco narrowly missed a very white-faced Mr. Sloan and ended up going through a fence and nose-first into a small cow pond.  Bo and Luke slowed down long enough to see the sheriff emerge from his car and stomp through the mud of the shallow pond.  They left the scene laughing along with the familiar sounds of Rosco’s frustrated shouting, the General’s “Dixie” horn and the powerful growl of their car’s engine.

 

Since the fun was over, the cousins calmly continued on their way back to the family farm, discussing the day ahead.  Their Uncle Jesse was waiting for them to return with the new pieces for Maudine’s harness. Their old mule was going to be used to help with the spring planting in the south field and just as he was getting the plow and harness ready, Jesse discovered a weak spot in the leather.  He sent the boys into town for the new pieces and threatened to tan their hides if they took too long. Jesse had a full day’s work planned in the fields and another delay would cause him to be even more irritated; so the young men decided to hurry up and get home. After arriving home, Bo and Luke found a note tacked to the barn wall from their uncle.  The note told them to get Maudine and Molly (another mule borrowed from a neighbor) ready and bring them to the south field.  Jesse would already be there, breaking up the ground with the tractor.  The younger Dukes quickly harnessed the mules and walked them to the field.  True to his word, Jesse was sitting on the tractor and waiting for them. “About time!” he called, “This corn ain’t gonna plant itself.”

 

 Bo and Luke, familiar with many years of farm chores, knew what was expected of them and soon got to work.  They used the mules to plow deep furrows in the rich dirt while their uncle continued to break up the winter-hardened soil ahead of them.  The boys plodded slowly behind the animals, reins draped loosely around their own necks, holding the old, wooden plow handles with steady, calloused hands.  Their family had prepared these fields for planting in such a way for generations past.  Only in recent years had the Duke family used any mechanical farming equipment at all.  Jesse thought it was good to stick with tradition, therefore they still did the majority of the farming the old way. Bo and Luke didn’t really mind the strenuous work.  They felt it gave them a closer connection to the land their family loved.  They occupied their time by talking about upcoming races, girls, and sometimes singing snatches of favorite songs.  The sounds of their voices and laughter mingling with the noises made by the clinking harnesses of the placid mules floated on the spring breeze to their uncle’s ears.  He smiled as he watched them from his perch on the tractor as he sat parked beneath the limbs of a large, old oak at the end of the field.

 

The early April sunshine was becoming warmer as the morning edged closer to noon. The Duke boys soon had their old, faded bandanas rolled up and tied around their heads in order to catch the sweat that dripped from their soaked hair.   Jesse was taking a break, cooling himself in the shade of the tree.  He watched as Bo shucked off his blue T-shirt, leaving it at the end of the row.  He shook his head and frowned slightly, ‘How many times have I warned them about working in the sun without a shirt’, he thought.  Jesse sighed in dismay when Luke soon followed Bo’s example.  “Well, when they come in tonight complaining about being sunburn’t, it’ll be their own fault!” Jesse said to himself.  He took off his dusty red cap and wiped sweat from his face with his wadded-up handkerchief.  He thought, ‘I need to get back to work, but…I think I’ll take an old man’s privilege and rest just a wee bit more!’

 

Jesse continued to watch his boys while they worked; his thoughts drifting back to when his “kids” were children. Luke, his dark-haired nephew, had always been the steadiest and most reserved of the three young Dukes; even as a youngster.  He was well liked by everyone and real popular with the ladies even though he was still skittish about settling down with any of them!  He was sharp as a tack and could’ve done well in any college; but he chose not to go that route, much to Jesse’s dismay.  Luke was the stronger of the two boys, both physically and emotionally, and had always taken his responsibilities, as being the eldest, very seriously.  ‘Almost too seriously, at times’, thought Jesse.  His eldest nephew was fiercely protective of his family and friends, especially since his return from his stint in the Marines.  He also seemed to become a bit more reserved, if that was possible, as he grew older.  Luke was the epitome of Calm, Cool, and Collected; at anytime, in any situation.

 

Jesse fondly laughed when he thought of his blond-haired nephew who idolized Luke.  His youngest adopted child could rarely be either calm, cool, or collected when upset, much less all three at once!  Jesse watched Bo, the sun glinting off his bright blond hair, as he worked in the field; his distinctive laugh carrying across the distance.  He was so glad to see that his “baby boy”, as he often thought of Bo, had outgrown the asthma and allergies that had plagued his childhood; making him sickly and shy.  He had grown from being small and scrawny to being the tallest of the Dukes, as well as strong, and he certainly wasn’t shy anymore!  Bo was very outgoing and handsome, with a quick wit and a brilliant smile.  Where Luke kept his feelings to himself, Bo wore his emotions for all to see...happiness, sorrow, anger or love.  He sometimes acted as if he didn’t have a brain in his head; but Jesse knew Bo was a lot smarter than he let on.  That boy could be deep…but he didn’t let too many people see it.  Besides…he just didn’t seem to care what other’s thought about him and he seemed to be fine with letting Luke be in charge.  He was a terrible flirt and seemed to fall in love every other week!  Jesse laughed at the thought of his nephew’s exploits with and over girls.  Bo’s almost cocky self-assurance and open personality often gained him many friends, many female admirers, and the occasional fight; but, he always seemed to come out OK.  He was getting better about controlling his recklessness as he got older, but Jesse felt that Bo would never be as stable-acting as Luke. 

 

Jesse’s thoughts then turned to his pretty dark-haired niece.  His sweet Daisy had always been the perfect little lady and the ultimate tom-boy.  ‘She still is,’ he grinned to himself.  She could keep a house running smooth and manage a garage with equal skill.  Daisy loved her family and “mothered” the boys as much as they would let her.  She also took Bo and Luke’s merciless teasing and over-protectiveness in stride and managed to dish out some teasing of her own.  Jesse wanted so much for her to be able to find someone to settle down with and start a family; but he didn’t think anyone would ever be good enough for her or be able to keep up with her!  Jesse thought and chuckled to himself, ‘I guess I just want to see some “grandkids” around the farm before I’m gone.’ 

 

 

Jesse Duke’s thoughts began to drift toward the future of the old farm, as they did more and more often as the years progressed.  Jesse hoped that the land would stay in the family, but he didn’t really think his nephews and niece would be able to keep up with the responsibility.  ‘No, that’s not the truth,’ he realized.  Jesse knew the kids were more than capable of running the farm.  He just didn’t want to keep his nephews and niece from living their dreams any more than he already had.  ‘I should have encouraged them to get away from Hazzard, to make successful lives for themselves…but, I needed them here…not just to help with the farm, but because I needed to keep them with me a while longer,’ he grudgingly admitted to himself. He was glad to see that his kids were so close and had become such good people.  His heart swelled with love and pride for his family.  ‘I need to tell them all how proud I am of them,’ Jesse decided as he turned in his seat to get down off the tractor.  Suddenly, he began to feel strange.  He felt very weak and dizzy.  His head hurt very badly and he began to feel disoriented.  Jesse vaguely felt himself fall from the tractor as darkness overcame him.

 

*************************************************************

 

Bo Duke was only halfway listening to his cousin, Luke, bemoan the fact that he still hadn’t been able to get Katie Pearson to go out with him.  Bo’s mind was actually on trying to figure out a way to get his Uncle Jesse to slow down a little.  He thought, ‘Jesse tries to do too much for a man his age; not that he can’t, but there’s no need for him to work as hard as he does with Luke and me around.’ Jesse had been both mother and father to him and his cousins.  Bo felt he could never repay his uncle for all that he had done for him; but, he could at least help take as much of the workload off his uncle as Jesse would let him!  He had also been worrying about Jesse’s health lately, even though he had no obvious reason to do so, and that worry was getting worse.  Bo just felt uneasy and the thought of something serious happening to his beloved uncle honestly scared him to death!  He didn’t know what he would do without Jesse… or Luke and Daisy, for that matter…one of them had always been there for him.  His untraditional family was his whole world and any threat to that world terrified him more than any mishap in a car or close call with the law ever could.

Luke soon noticed that his younger cousin was not paying any attention to him.

 

 “Earth to Bo! Hey, cuz, I know I’m not talking about stuff as exciting as NASCAR or that pretty new girl that works at the Boar’s Nest, but I didn’t think I was boring you to death.” Luke said, laughingly, as he stopped plowing.

 

 “Oh. Sorry, Luke.  I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” Bo replied as he stopped the mule he was working with and wiped sweat from his face with his hand.

 

 Luke looked surprised; his crystal blue eyes twinkled with mischief.  He laughed, and said “Whoa…that’s something different!”

 

“Cut it out, Luke.  I’m serious.” Bo said agitatedly, glaring at his cousin; his own dark blue eyes were clouded with worry. “I’ve got a bad feeling about Uncle Jesse.  I don’t know why…but it’s getting worse.” 

 

Luke sobered instantly and asked, “What do you mean a ‘bad feeling’?”

 

“It’s probably nothing…” Bo started to say as he looked toward the tree where his uncle sat.  Bo’s voice caught in his throat as he watched his uncle fall, heavily, from the tractor to the hard-packed ground.

 

His voice returned and came out in a panicked scream, “Uncle Jesse!”  Bo threw down the plow lines and ran over the uneven ground towards his fallen uncle.

Luke jumped at Bo’s outburst and had to pause in order to calm the mules, excited by the loud scream and flurry of motion.  He soon looked in the direction his cousin was running.  He paled when he saw Jesse lying beside the tractor. ‘Oh, no!’ Luke thought as he, too, began to run toward the end of the field.

 

 

          Bo reached his uncle and gently rolled him to his back.  He noticed that Jesse was breathing regularly and sighed in relief as he cradled his adopted father’s head on his lap.  Luke skidded to a halt beside them. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.

 

“I don’t know.  He just fell off the tractor.” replied Bo.  “He’s breathing OK, though.” Bo said hopefully.

 

The boys tried to rouse their uncle with no success.  Luke said, “Stay with him, I’m goin’ to the house to call an ambulance.”

 

“OK…just tell them to hurry.”  Bo said, shakily.  He was trying to hide his fear from Luke, but his cousin could tell from the look in Bo’s dark-blue eyes that he was scared to death.

 

“Don’t worry, Bo,” Luke said as he squeezed Bo’s shoulder, “Jesse’s tough. He’ll be OK.”  Luke then turned and ran toward the old farm house. 

 

Bo watched Luke run.  He slowly turned to look at his uncle, and smoothed the thinning white hair from Jesse’s sweat-dampened brow.  He whispered, “I sure hope you’re right, Luke. I really hope so.”  Two large tears broke free to slowly trickle down the scared young man’s sun-burned face.

 

 

          Luke was almost in a panic when he reached the old white house.  He felt just as upset as Bo, but he couldn’t fall apart!  Daisy and Bo would need him to be strong if something was really wrong with Jesse.  ‘Please, God, don’t take my uncle!  Not yet!  We still need him.’ he prayed as he burst through the kitchen door.  Daisy, who was doing laundry, squealed in surprise and accidentally knocked a basket of wet clothes onto the floor.

 

 “Luke! What are you…” she started to say, but was cut off by Luke’s gesture of impatience. 

 

Luke grabbed the phone and nervously dialed the operator:  “Mabel, this is Luke Duke.  Get me the ambulance service.  Hurry!  It’s an emergency!” 

 

Daisy looked at Luke, open-mouthed and cold with fear.

 

 Luke fidgeted impatiently as he waited to be connected to the Tri-County ambulance service.  After a long couple of minutes, Luke was able to relay Jesse’s condition and location to the ambulance dispatcher. 

 

Daisy then pounced on Luke, “What’s going on?  Is Uncle Jesse OK?  Is anyone with him?”  Her voice getting higher in pitch and louder in volume as her anxiety grew.

 

Luke, as he hung up the phone, said, “Daisy, calm down!  Bo’s with him.  All I know is that he passed out and fell off the tractor.  I didn’t actually see him fall, but Bo did.  He was breathing fine when I left but he was still pretty much out of it.”  Luke leaned against the kitchen counter and slowly wiped a shaky hand across his face. 

 

Daisy sat down, hard, in one of the chairs.  She looked pale.  “Jesse’s never sick other than a cold or the flu.  Luke…this could be something bad!” she said.

 

“I hope not,” said Luke, as he jerked the sweat-soaked bandana off his head.  He grabbed a button-up shirt for himself and one for Bo from the pile of clean laundry.  “Come on, let’s go meet the ambulance.  One of us needs to flag it down and direct it to the field,” Luke stated, calmly. He tried his best to hide his anxiety from Daisy as he slid his faded denim shirt over his sun-reddened back. 

 

The two cousins ran outside, climbed into Daisy’s jeep and sped overland toward the field where their younger cousin sat with their uncle.

 

 

 

          “Where are they?” Bo said impatiently.  His imagination was getting the best of him.  His mind thought up every possible bad scenario concerning his uncle’s health and each one scared him senseless!  He didn’t want to think about life without Jesse.  He still felt like a little kid at times; he needed to be able to run to his Uncle Jesse to make things right.  He and his cousins still needed Jesse’s wisdom to guide them. He stroked his elderly uncle’s hair, and spoke to him while he waited for Luke and the ambulance.

 

 “I’m sorry I haven’t done more to help you, Uncle Jesse.  I should have been here helpin’ you more instead of out messin’ around, causing trouble and worrying you.  I promise I’ll be better…I’ll do more…you won’t have to work so hard anymore.  Please, Uncle Jesse, wake up! Please…wake up…don’t leave me!” Bo sobbed as he hugged his beloved uncle.

 

Bo was jarred from his thoughts by the faint stirring of the man in his arms.  Bo loosened his grip on his uncle and spoke to him, “That’s it!  Come on, Uncle Jesse, wake up!”

He heard the sounds of Daisy’s jeep coming across the field and soon heard the distant wail of an ambulance siren.  Bo smiled, echoing his uncle’s words from earlier that morning, “About time!  Listen, Uncle Jesse! Help’s coming!  Come on, wake up for me.”  Bo continued to help his uncle come to consciousness.

 

 

Jesse Duke struggled to open his eyes, glanced around and looked at his young nephew, confusedly.  He then asked in a slightly slurred and halting voice, “What…? Where am I?  Why on earth am I lyin’ in the dirt?”  Jesse’s eyes held an almost wild look. 

 

Bo’s relief at seeing his uncle awake soon eroded as he saw his uncle in such an agitated and disoriented state.  His concern for his uncle was foremost in his mind.  As a result, he didn’t even register the tight feeling that was creeping into his own chest.

 

 

 

          Luke and Daisy rushed to the two men beside the tractor.  Luke looked at Bo and read the concern and confusion in his eyes.  Daisy knelt in the dirt next to her uncle while Luke stood behind her, scanning the road beyond for the approaching ambulance. 

 

“Oh, Uncle Jesse,” Daisy said as she hugged Jesse, “I’m so glad you’re awake!”

 

Jesse just looked at his niece with a bewildered look on his face.  This worried Bo even more because Jesse had always responded to Daisy; if only with a grin or a pat on the arm.  Daisy met Bo’s eyes and mutual looks of fear and worry passed between the cousins.

 

Luke had yet to notice his uncle’s confused state.  He was just relieved to find him awake and was preoccupied with looking for the ambulance.  He knew, however, from Bo’s expression that something wasn’t quite right.  He finally spotted the flashing lights.

 

Luke yelled, “They’re here!  I’m gonna show them how to get up here!”  He then ran to the edge of the field where there was a well-worn dirt path the ambulance could use to get to where his uncle lay.

          The paramedics descended from the vehicle in a whirlwind of motion.  Bo reluctantly surrendered his uncle to the ministrations of the medical team.  He slowly pulled the bandana from his drying hair and stood with his cousins as they watched their uncle be examined and loaded into the back of the ambulance.  Throughout all of this, their proud and independent uncle acted confused and spoke only when prompted.  Luke finally noticed Jesse’s confused state and looked at his cousins.  This could be serious,’ he thought and he knew his younger cousins thought the same. 

 

The ambulance driver caught their attention:  “Your uncle needs to be checked out by a doctor at Tri-County General.  We’re ready to go, now.  Do either of you want to ride along to help keep him calm?” 

 

The cousins looked at each other; each wanting to go with their uncle.  Finally, Bo said, “Daisy, why don’t you go with Jesse?  You know more about what to write on all the paperwork than we do.”  Luke agreed. 

 

Daisy nodded and replied, “OK, you two follow in Dixie.”  She followed the driver to the back of the ambulance and was helped in to sit beside Jesse.  He gave her a weak smile.  Daisy gave him a wobbly smile in return as she tried to bite back her tears at seeing her uncle in such a state.  She grabbed Jesse’s hand and gently spoke to him as the doors were closed.  The two Duke boys watched as the vehicle stirred up dust as it sped down the dirt path with its sirens wailing and lights flashing.

 

 

          The young men raced toward Capital City and Tri-County General Hospital.  Luke was driving and trying to keep his mind focused on the road ahead of him.  Bo struggled into his favorite yellow shirt Luke had brought for him as he watched the ambulance that was just ahead of them.  Bo began to notice that his chest was feeling tighter and that he was starting to feel slightly short of breath.  ‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was havinan asthma attack…but I can’t be!’ he thought, ‘I’ve outgrown that.’  He had been plagued with asthma as a child, but he hadn’t had any breathing problems of any significance since Junior High.  He dismissed the feelings as “just nerves” and tried not to think about it.  His concern should be for Jesse, not himself. 

Bo and Luke made the trip to the hospital in relative silence; both too worried about their uncle and too afraid to say their thought aloud.  They each prayed for Jesse’s safe return home.  In the ambulance ahead, Daisy prayed the same prayer.  The silence was briefly interrupted when Deputy Enos Strait jumped in on the CB to ask if everything was alright.  (In typical small town fashion, Enos had heard from the telephone operator that Luke had called for an ambulance to come to the farm.)  Luke explained the situation and Enos offered his help, if needed.  Their friend, Cooter Davenport, had been listening to the conversation between Enos and Luke.  Cooter’s voice, unusually serious, came through over the air waves.  The mechanic offered his help, as well, and said he would say a prayer for Jesse. Bo and Luke thanked their friends and continued on their journey. 

 

 

 

          Some twenty minutes later, the Duke family arrived at Tri-County General.  Jesse was unloaded from the ambulance and whisked to the ER.  Daisy was given a stack of admission forms to fill out while she waited to hear from the doctor.  Bo and Luke hurried into the waiting room after they had circled the small parking lot twice before finding a parking space.

 

“Any news?” Bo and Luke asked, simultaneously.

 

Daisy replied, “No…not officially.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Bo, with irritation sounding through his voice, as he finished tucking in his shirt.

 

“Well, the paramedics couldn’t say for sure…they can’t say anything definite until a doctor sees him…” nervously twisting the tissue she held  “but they thought Uncle Jesse may have had a light stroke.” Daisy said; her voice cracking due to unshed tears.

 

Upon hearing this, Luke paled and his knees buckled.  If Bo had not steered him toward the nearest chair, he might have fallen.  “A stroke,” Luke whispered as he sat down, heavily, “Is he paralyzed or something?”

 

“I don’t think so, Luke.  He was moving OK in the ambulance.” said Daisy.  “He just seemed so confused and had a little trouble talking.  I’m scared ya’ll!  I’ve never seen Uncle Jesse look so…so…” Daisy grasped for words to describe her feelings.

 

“Helpless.”  Bo quietly finished for her.

 

 

          The youngest Duke had at first seemed to take this news rather well…almost too well (for Bo, that is) and the other two cousins looked up at him with concern.  Bo stood perfectly still, his eyes distant, and his skin paling under his sunburn.  He was thinking about how this scene seemed hauntingly similar to one of the awful scenarios that played through his mind as he waited with Jesse for the ambulance’s arrival.  It hurt him to think of his strong uncle being so fragile and weak.  His uncle could be crippled or sick for the rest of his life!  NO!’ Bo thought.  Worse yet, if his nightmarish daydream came true, Jesse might not make it. ‘He CAN’T die! Not yet!’ Bo screamed in his mind.

 

“Lord, no! Please! No!” Bo whispered as he continued to stare blankly down the hallway.  He didn’t even feel the tears streaking his face or seem to notice his own increasingly labored breathing.

 

Luke looked worriedly at Bo.  He could tell that his younger cousin was working himself into a fine state of nerves.  ‘If he don’t calm down, he’s gonna make himself sick or something.’  As if in response to Luke’s thoughts, Bo began to wheeze loudly and cough.  Luke jumped up and grabbed Bo’s arm.  He led Bo over to the hard plastic waiting-room chairs and sat him next to Daisy. 

 

“Bo, settle down!  Jesse’s in good hands.  The doctors will take care of him and we’ll be able to see him in a little while.” Luke said in a quiet, calming voice as he put a comforting arm around his cousin’s shoulders.

 

“You… you don’t understand!” Bo gasped between breaths and coughs.  “I shoulda been watching him closer.  I… I…” Bo was unable to finish.  His breathing became more difficult as he became more anxious. 

 

“Bo, you couldn’t have known this was going to happen.  Uncle Jesse was fine this morning,” Daisy said as she put her hand on his knee.

 

“But,” Bo wheezed, “it DID!  What if he dies?  That can’t happen!  IT JUST CAN’T!”  Bo yelled and immediately grimaced in pain as he fell into a vicious coughing fit. 

 

Luke tried to calm Bo, but was having no luck.  Bo’s chest heaved and his rough breathing appeared to be painful.  He wheezed with every breath and sheer panic was visible in his wide dark-blue eyes.

 

 

Luke became doubly worried.  His cousin hadn’t had a full-blown asthma attack since he was thirteen.  They all thought he had outgrown it.  Bo didn’t even have to take any more medication or carry an inhaler with him like he used to when he was younger.

 

“Daisy, I don’t suppose you have one of Bo’s old inhalers in your purse, do you?”  Luke asked, desperately.

 

“Of course not, Luke…and if I did, it would be so old that it wouldn’t do him any good!” Daisy replied anxiously.

 

“Great,” Luke said exasperatedly as he ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair.

 

Bo continued to wheeze, becoming paler and more nervous by the second, which did nothing to help his asthma attack.  He knew worrying didn’t do him any good, but it was awfully hard not to worry when you couldn’t breathe!  His chest constricted painfully; each breath harder to obtain than the last. Bo was quickly becoming light-headed due to the lack of oxygen and he was afraid he was going to pass out, right there in the waiting room, if he didn’t get some relief soon.  He looked up at Luke, pleading with his eyes for help of any kind.  Luke noted the scared, begging look in Bo’s eyes.  He had an instant flashback to when the two of them were children and Bo would give him the same look whenever they got into trouble.  Bo had always looked up to him and trusted him to get them out of any tight spot.

 

‘Sometimes,’ Luke thought, ‘having someone depend on me this much is almost too much to deal with…especially when I’m scared out of my wits!’

 

Luke laid a strong hand on his almost-brother’s head and told him, “Don’t worry, Bo.  I’ll get you some help.  I haven’t let you down yet, have I?”  Bo gave a slight smile and shook his head as he continued to struggle to breathe.

 

 

 

          Luke ran up to the nurses’ desk.  He frantically looked for anyone who could help Bo.  The space behind the desk was currently unoccupied and the doors to the ER were closed so Luke couldn’t even get the attention of any passing hospital staff.  He began to get angry and hollered, “Is there anybody here that can help me!  I need a nurse or doctor or somebodyplease!”  Luke slapped the desk in frustration and had started to go behind the desk in order to enter the ER when he was almost bowled over by someone coming through the swinging doors.  A petite brown-haired nurse with a huge stack of patient charts in her arms backed through the doors, oblivious to the fact that she had almost hit someone. 

 

Luke grabbed the nurse’s arm, startling her.  He sighed in relief and said, “Finally!  I need some help.  My cousin’s in the waiting room and he’s having an asthma attack.” 

 

The pretty young nurse immediately laid down her charts, pulled her stethoscope from the pocket of her scrubs and said, “Lead the way.”

 

 

Luke led the nurse to the waiting area.  He noticed that Bo was sitting hunched over, his hands on his knees, wheezing loudly. Daisy gently rubbed Bo’s back and tried to calm him as much as she could. The youngest Duke did not seem to be any worse, but he sure wasn’t any better. 

 

The brunette nurse soon stood in front of Bo.  She knelt down before him and said, “I’m a nurse and I’m here to help.  I need to listen to your lungs, OK?”  Bo nodded; he had closed his eyes to ward off the increasing feeling of dizziness he was having, so he didn’t see the woman who knelt by him… but he was instantly comforted by her soft, gentle voice and promise of help.  The nurse quickly unbuttoned Bo’s shirt and placed the cold stethoscope on his chest.  She moved the instrument over his chest and his back as she listened to his labored breathing.  Apparently, she had not liked what she heard, because she ran to the nearest in-house phone and paged an orderly to the waiting room with a wheelchair and respiratory therapy to the ER:  STAT! 

 

The nurse told the Duke cousins, “His lungs are very tight.  He needs a breathing treatment fast and needs to be seen by a doctor.” She turned to the dark-haired man next to her patient. “Has your cousin ever had an attack like this before?” she asked Luke.

 

“Yeah…but that was when he was a kid.  We all thought he had outgrown it.”  Luke said, tensely, as he rubbed the back of his neck.  He looked at Bo with concern 

 

A middle-aged orderly soon arrived with a wheelchair.  Daisy and Luke managed to get their wheezing, light-headed cousin, who still had his eyes tightly shut, into the seat and Bo was quickly whisked back into the recesses of the ER.  The pretty brunette nurse followed behind.  She stopped, turned and said, “I’m embarrassed to ask this…but, what’s your cousin’s name?  I guess I got too excited to ask earlier.” she grinned, sheepishly. 

 

Luke was struck dumb at the sight of that silly grin.  This little nurse was very cute…she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous or anything, but he liked what he saw.  He couldn’t help but think that he would like to know her better after all this was over.   He wished he had looked more closely at her name tag.

 

 Daisy noticed Luke’s lack of comment and replied, “His name’s Bo…Bo Duke.”

 

“Thanks!” the nurse said as she hurried after Bo.

 

 

          Bo was soon sitting on a hard bed behind some curtains in the Tri-County ER.  He was still dizzy, but he had managed to keep his eyes open for the last few minutes without it getting worse.  He could hear the activity going on around him and it made him even antsier.  Bo knew Daisy and Luke were worried about their uncle and now, about him!  ‘I’m more trouble than I’m worth,’ he thought, miserably.  He began to cough again and have more difficulty breathing as he waited for the doctor.  The curtains parted and through them walked a woman in white.  ‘She’s the cutest little angel I’ve ever seen…’ Bo thought through his pain.  It was the nurse from the waiting room, he realized, when he heard her voice as she said “Hi”.  She wore white nurse’s scrubs and had her shoulder-length, straight, brown hair tied back into a ponytail with a white ribbon.   Her stethoscope hung around her neck and her soft green eyes held a look of genuine concern.  The nurse seemed to be around his age, had a curvy figure and stood, at the most, 5’3”.  To Bo, she seemed tiny and delicate.  He was absolutely captivated with her.  She was just so adorable!  Her eyes, the freckles across her nose, and her dimples all seemed to capture his attention. 

 

 

Bo momentarily forgot his struggle to breathe, but was soon reminded why he had even met this woman by a harsh spell of painful coughing.  The young nurse quickly came to Bo’s side and gently laid a small, but strong, hand on his arm.  “The respiratory therapist is on his way.  You’re gonna get some relief soon.  I promise.” she said in her soft, musical (and Bo thought, sexy sounding) drawl.  Bo thought, ‘with a voice like that, I’ll bet she can sing…and…she’s definitely Southern, but that doesn’t sound like a Georgia accent…I wonder where she’s from?’

 

 Soft-green eyes and dark-blue eyes met momentarily and Bo felt a jolt of electricity surge through him.  He had never felt anything that strong before when looking at a girl he had just met, not even when he met that carnival lady, Diane!  Bo shook the strange feeling off and chalked it up to his lack of oxygen as he continued to wheeze. 

 

The nurse stepped back and looked at him with a mixture of concern and brief confusion before she treated Bo with a wide, dimpled smile.  “Well, I guess I should introduce myself…my name’s Meghan Riley, RN.” she said, reaching out to shake Bo’s hand.  “I already know your name. It’s Bo Duke; am I right?” she asked with a tilt of her head, a slightly naughty-looking raised eyebrow and a trill of easy laughter.

 

(For some reason, Bo was instantly reminded of Sally Field’s character, “Frog”, in his favorite movie, “Smokey and the Bandit”.)  The tall young blond was hooked!  Unbeknownst to her, all Meghan Riley, RN needed to do was reel him in!

 

Bo nodded and smiled, weakly, back at her.  He wished he could do some of his famous sweet-talking, but even if he had felt like it, he wouldn’t have been able to think of anything to say. He had a strong desire to impress this woman and right now he didn’t have a clue how to do that! 

 

This was uncharted territory for him.  Bo Duke…the biggest flirt in three counties…had never been at a loss for what to say to a girl!  He knew he definitely wanted to get to know this little woman better.  ‘Maybe later I could…’ Bo briefly let himself think before guilt over thinking about a possible date when his uncle lay in the hospital consumed him.

 

 A man in his late forties, wearing navy-blue scrubs and carrying an equipment case entered the little cubicle where Bo sat. 

 

Meghan smiled again and said “Don here is going to help you.  I’d better get back to my unit… I have patients waiting.”  At Bo’s puzzled look she explained, “I actually work on another floor.  I was just down here to pick up some patient charts when your cousin stopped me…and …well…I just couldn’t bring myself to leave you until I knew you were in good hands.”  Meghan seemed to blush and looked at the floor while she grinned crookedly and backed out of the little room. 

 

Bo watched with obvious disappointment as Meghan slipped behind the curtain and disappeared from his sight.

 

 Don, the respiratory therapist, soon had a nebulizer with breathing medication ready for Bo.  The older man pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the young Duke’s breathing.   Don looked serious and said, “Sounds like you don’t need to wait around much longer, son.  Let’s get this breathing treatment started before you croak on me.”

 Bo sat on the hard bed, inhaling the medication through the plastic tube of the nebulizer until his lungs loosened and his coughing decreased.  After about thirty minutes, a tired and harried looking ER doctor came in to assess his condition.  The doctor listened to his lungs and told him the attack may have been triggered by the extreme emotional stress caused by his uncle’s illness.  The physician warned him that he could have another attack and to seek help before it got severe.  Bo was then advised to follow-up with his family doctor, Doctor Appleby, at his office in Hazzard and to get a prescription for an inhaler to keep with him.  He was soon free to return to the waiting room and resume his worrying about his uncle and his daydreaming about the little nurse named Meghan. 

 

 

 

          Luke paced the floor of the small waiting area; he watched the swinging ER doors like a hawk.  He was getting on Daisy’s nerves, but she knew that this was just his way of coping with the stress of the day.  She had already shredded several tissues and paper cups during her wait, so she really couldn’t say anything about Luke’s pacing.  The doors swung open and Bo emerged; he was still quite pale but he was buttoning his shirt, walking (somewhat slowly) on his own and apparently doing much better.  Luke and Daisy ran to him, eager to hear how their younger cousin was feeling.

 

“Are you OK, Bo?” Luke asked, quietly, as he placed an arm around his cousin’s shoulder. 

 “Yeah,” said Bo, “I’m still wheezing a little, but the doctor said the medication would last for a few hours.  He thinks the asthma attack was caused by me worrying so much over Uncle Jesse.” 

 

“Well, I see how that could happen…but, don’t you dare do that again, Bo Duke!  I don’t think my nerves could stand it!” said Daisy, with tears of relief shining in her eyes, as she pulled him into a quick hug.

 

“I’m sorry for worrying ya’ll…” said Bo, dejectedly, “…I had no idea that this would happen.  I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up, but I couldn’t help it!  I was so worried and all…” he rambled.

 

“Hush, Bo. Don’t blame yourself.  You’ll be back in the ER if you start this again.” said Luke, gently, but with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

 

Before any of the cousins could say more, a black man of average height and build, wearing a white lab-coat approached them.  “Are you three related to Mr. Jesse Duke?” the doctor asked.

 

“Yes,” said Luke, leading the others to stand in front of this bearer of news.

 “Are you our uncle’s doctor?” said Daisy.

 

The doctor nodded, smiled, and said “I’m Doctor Wilson and I’m handling your uncle’s care.”

 

“How is he?”  Bo and Luke said simultaneously.  Daisy looked at them and had to crack a small smile. Sometimes she still marveled at how close the two of them were…almost thinking the same things at the same time.

 

The doctor looked at the cousins for a minute and said “Let’s sit down over here and discuss things.” 

 

The cousins looked at each other and paled.  ‘It must be bad if the doctor wants us to sit down,’ they all thought.

 

  The perceptive doctor caught their looks and reassured them by saying, “Now don’t get excited. It’s not that bad! I just have a lot to say and I didn’t think we would want to stand for that long.”

 

 The three young Dukes let out a collective sigh of relief at those words.

 

 Dr. Wilson began to speak after everyone was sitting and comfortable.  “Your uncle is doing quite well at the moment.  According to the lab work and the scans, he seems to have suffered a very mild stroke.  There appears to be no major damage such as paralysis or lingering speech difficulty, though.  He has some weakness on his left side and he may have periods of memory loss or mild confusion for the next few days.   The weakness will improve with time and he should have no lasting effects.  I’d like to keep him here at least over night in order to monitor his condition.  He will most likely need a cane or some other support to get around until he is at full strength.  We’ll provide him with one and instruct him on how to use it safely before he goes home.  He’ll be on a couple of prescriptions that he will need to take daily and I will send a pamphlet on diet restrictions and recommendations with him at discharge.”

 

The doctor took a deep breath and pushed himself up from his chair; slightly holding his hand to his back as he did so.

“I’ll tell you one thing…Mr. Duke already seems to have better mental clarity than when he was first admitted and he is very adamant about wanting to go home!” the doctor finished with a smile and shake of his head.

 

 Luke and his cousins smiled at that comment.  “That sounds like our Uncle Jesse.” Luke said.  Bo was still trying to get a hold of all that the doctor had said; but he was grateful that his uncle seemed to be doing better and would recover.

 

Dr. Wilson smiled at the three young people and said, “He’s in room 618 if you’re ready to see him.” 

 

Bo practically leapt from his chair, “Yes!  Can we go now?”

 

The doctor replied, “Go ahead, but don’t be surprised if your uncle acts a bit differently.  It’s common for stroke patients to feel depressed, angry, or have a slight change in personality until they are able to regain some sense of normalcy and independence.”

 

 Bo nodded and ran toward the elevators.  “Thank you Dr. Wilson,” Daisy said as she hurried after her cousin.  Luke shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him again before running to catch the elevator as Bo held the doors open for him. 

 

The doctor looked after the three young people and thought to himself, ‘It’s a pity all families can’t be that close.’  He then turned and retreated into the bustle of the ER.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

 

          The two young men and the young woman that accompanied them rushed from the elevator as the doors opened on the sixth floor.  Their pace slowed, however, as they grew nearer to their loved one’s room.  The Duke trio was eager to see their uncle, but they were also afraid to face the reality that awaited them in the near future:  A reality where their uncle, who had always taken care of them, would be dependent on them for a while. They steeled themselves and entered the small, sterile-looking room.  Their uncle wore a hospital-issue gown and looked to be sleeping.  An IV dripped slowly into his left hand, but the white-haired man was otherwise free of hospital machinery.

 

Bo was the first to reach his uncle’s bedside. He looked down at his sleeping uncle and gently grasped the old man’s work-roughened hand.  Jesse’s eyes immediately fluttered open and a gentle smile broke across his face. 

 

There’s my young’uns,” Jesse said in a quiet voice, squeezing Bo’s hand.  “I thought ya’ll might have just left my old bones here and gone back home,” he said, with an attempt at humor, as his gaze took in all of his family.

 

“We’d never do that, Uncle Jesse,” Bo said, grinning, with unshed tears of relief glistening in his eyes.

 

Luke nodded his agreement and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  The emotions of the day had caught up with him after he saw his uncle talking and trying to joke. He grabbed his uncle’s free hand and held on tightly as he struggled to regain his composure.

 

 Daisy unashamedly let her mixed tears of anxiety and relief streak her cheeks as she ran to the other side of the bed to embrace the man who had raised them all.

 

 

 

Jesse choked up as he felt the love pouring from his “kids” toward him.  He tried to reassure them that he was better and would be fine in a little while.

“This is just a back-set,” he said.  “It will take more than this to take this old ridge–runner out of commission.  Mind you, a man don’t like hearing the news that he’s had a stroke; even if it was a mild one.” he said, seriously.

 

“Well, we’re all just thankful that it wasn’t any worse than it was,” said Daisy as she brushed her hand over her uncle’s forehead.

 

“Don’t you worry Uncle Jesse,” Luke said, “we’ll keep the farm runnin’ smooth.  All you need to think about is getting better and taking it easy for a spell.”  Bo agreed with him and gave Jesse his assurances, as well.

 

 

Jesse smiled at his family, thankful for their obvious support. 

“We’ll see.  I’m just ready to go home.  This bed is too hard and there are too many people running in and out for my taste.  Now just how do they expect a man to rest when they’re always bothering him for one reason or another?” Jesse groused. “Besides, all this coddling goes against my nature.”

 

The younger Dukes all laughed at their uncle’s very normal behavior. 

 

“Now that sounds more like our Uncle Jesse,” said Bo after he finished laughing.  Jesse fixed the young blond with a brief glare before he, too, chuckled.

 

“You just rest up and try not to give the nurses a hard time.  They’re just doing their jobs and trying to take care of you.” Luke said while trying to keep a scolding expression on his face.  He failed and ended up giving his uncle a wide smile. 

 

 

 

Luke suddenly thought of something he and Bo had forgotten.  He looked up at his cousin with wide eyes and said, “Bo…we forgot something.”

 

Bo tilted his head and looked at his older cousin with a creased brow.  His eyes grew wide, as well, as it dawned on him what they had forgotten.  “The mules…we left them in the field, didn’t we?” he groaned and slapped his forehead.

 

Jesse sat bolt up-right in the hospital bed.  He divided a fierce glare between his two nephews.  You did what?” he roared.  “I want you boys to get back to the farm and see to those animals right now!  We’ll be lucky if they haven’t wandered off or hurt themselves!  And don’t forget to put the tractor in the barn, either; I guess you forgot that, too!  How am I supposed to trust you two addle-brained idiots to see to the farm when you can’t even take care of a couple of old mules?” Jesse continued, irately.  The old man was red-faced and breathing hard in his fearsome anger.

 

Bo and Luke were speechless.  They could only look at their uncle in shock.  The boys knew their uncle had a mighty temper (and they had been on the receiving end of it many times), but under the circumstances, they thought he might have cut them a little slack!

 

Luke found his voice and held his hands out in a gesture of surrender. “OK, Uncle Jesse.  Don’t get riled. We’ll go see about everything and then come back.  Daisy’ll stay with you while we’re gone.” he said, trying to calm his uncle before another stroke occurred.

 

“Ya’ll can just stay at the house…and take Daisy with you!  I don’t want anyone else standing over me right now.  I’ve got enough of that with these dang-blasted nurses!  I want you three to just keep yourselves at home until it’s time to come get me in the morning.” Jesse ordered them.

 

“But, Uncle Jesse, we…” Bo started to reply.

 

Jesse slowly turned his head toward his nephew, poked his finger into Bo’s chest, and answered ominously, “Don’t you sass me, young man!” 

 “I mean what I say.  I may be in a hospital bed, but that don’t take away from my authority in this family!  Now get to the house…all of you!” Jesse thundered, waving his hand toward the door.

 

 

 

The door to Jesse Duke’s room suddenly opened.  A petite nurse entered and glared at the room’s occupants. Her confident stance made her seem much taller and forceful.  In a firm, authoritative voice she said, “What’s going on in here?  Mr. Duke, you are going to have to calm down!  You’ll cause your blood pressure to go sky-high if you don’t watch it and then you’ll be in here till the end of the week.” She turned to the three shell-shocked cousins and asked them to leave so their uncle could rest quietly.

 

 Bo was pleasantly surprised to see that the nurse was Meghan…his nurse!

 

The Dukes said their farewells, as Jesse tried to calm himself, and followed the nurse into the hallway.

 

The four-some stood in the wide, brightly lit hallway of the neurology unit; surrounded by the typical sights and sounds of a busy hospital.  The young nurse took a deep breath, intending to offer the Duke family some words of reassurance.  When she finally took a good look at the people in front of her, Meghan Riley realized that she had met them earlier that afternoon.

 

 She looked up at the blond man who stood in front of her and she felt a fluttery feeling in her stomach.  ‘I didn’t realize he was so tall!’ she thought as she looked up to a face nearly a foot above her.

 

“Oh!  It’s you!  How are you feeling? Are you doing OK?” she asked Bo, as she touched his arm, her voice full of concern and professional interest. Meghan at least hoped her voice sounded professional, anyway.

 She had been thinking about the gorgeous, very well-built, blond-haired man since she had left him in the ER; thinking that she wouldn’t mind having to listen to his lungs again; especially if it meant another chance to see him with his shirt open!  Meghan was shocked at where her thoughts were taking her. Her attraction to this man was very strong.  There was just something about him; some indescribable quality that drew her to him, even though she barely even knew who he was!  She forced herself to look away from the blond Adonis in front of her.  She stole a quick glance at his slightly shorter, muscular, dark-haired cousin and found him to be very pleasing on the eyes as well! ‘They just don’t grow men like these two where I’m from,’ she sighed and hoped she wasn’t blushing.  Meghan tried to regain a professional attitude and chastised herself for thinking about patients and their families in such a way.

 

Bo blushed slightly. ‘She remembers me!’ he thought as his heart leapt briefly. “I’m a lot better. Thanks for your help.  It was just nerves, I guess…” he said, his voice trailed off quietly as he looked down at her, getting lost in her wide, green eyes.  He made himself look away, briefly in order to regain his wits and managed to give her a lopsided smile 

Bo felt so awkward!  If he didn’t watch out, he could easily fall head over heels for this woman; that is, if he ever got up the nerve to talk to her!

 

Daisy noticed that Bo had an odd look on his face and was uncharacteristically shy.  She just assumed it was part of his reaction to Jesse’s outburst.

 

Luke paid his youngest cousin absolutely no heed.  He was too interested in gaining the attention of the pretty little brunette nurse he had briefly met earlier that afternoon.  His crystal-blue eyes sparkled as he smiled his most charming smile. He walked over to stand directly in front of the nurse, shoving Bo to the side.  “I’m sorry,” Luke said, “but I didn’t catch your name earlier.”  “I was a little distracted by ‘Wheezy’, over here,” he said, jerking a thumb in Bo’s direction and smiling widely.  “My name’s Luke Duke.”  He reached out to shake her hand.  Bo made a face at his dark-haired cousin and anger briefly flared in his expressive blue eyes, but the others did not seem to notice

 

 

Meghan looked surprised at Luke’s obvious interest in her.  She shook his hand and blushed to the roots of her brown hair.

 She was simply not used to being around guys as gorgeous as the two Duke cousins and their presence was making her feel slightly nervous. (Meghan had always felt sort of insecure because she felt she was too short and too much of a book-worm. She was always the girl that guys treated as a best friend instead of a serious girlfriend.  Besides, she had never really had a serious relationship with any guy; much less someone like one of these two... honestly, she had always thought guys like Bo and Luke Duke were completely out her league!)  She definitely was not used to having a very attractive man, such as Luke Duke, come on to her!  His gorgeous blond cousin, Bo, (Meghan had noticed, to her dismay) had barely spoken to her and acted distant; so she didn’t think he had any interest in her.  ‘Too, bad,’ she thought, ‘because I definitely could be interested in him!’ However, this dark-haired man’s attention was very flattering and gave her a nice, warm feeling!

“Sorry,” she said, scrunching up her face.  “When I go into ‘nurse mode’ I forget basic pleasantries.  I’m Meghan Riley and I’m your uncle’s nurse.” she said, looking around at all three Dukes. “I was just passing through the ER, picking up some patient charts, when you caught me.  My real home is up here in the Neurology Unit,” she replied, gazing up at Luke; her pretty green eyes sparkling.

 

Luke and Meghan continued to talk, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Bo and Daisy were standing next to them. 

 

 

 

          Daisy studied the petite nurse with much interest.  She was not exactly the type of girl that her older cousin usually went for.  Both Bo and Luke tended to be attracted to long-legged beauty queens who, in Daisy’s opinion, may or may not have enough sense to get in out of the rain!  It was unusual for Luke to just zero-in on a girl like he had with Meghan, that was more Bo’s style; but her cousin seemed to be very taken with the young woman (Daisy had figured Meghan to be about Bo’s age).  The girl seemed to be very sweet and kind-hearted; if her treatment of Bo during his asthma attack was any indication.

 

Daisy laughed to herself and thought, as she watched the shorter woman juggle a couple of charts while she and the dark-haired Duke talked, ‘Luke must really like her; he won’t shut-up and let her get back to work!’

 

She elbowed Bo and started to tell him what she had just thought; when she noticed that her younger cousin also seemed to be enthralled by the little brunette nurse!  Bo was staring at the girl like a starving man staring at food and hanging on her every word. 

 

Daisy’s eyes grew round.  She thought ‘Oh, boy…this could get interesting.  I just hope there ain’t any trouble between the boys over this girl!’  Daisy realized what she had just been thinking and prayed that her thoughts wouldn’t be prophetic.  She consoled herself with the thought that Meghan might just be a little too “grown-up” for the boys and that there would be no need to worry.  Besides, the Duke family had more important things to be worrying about right now instead of Bo and Luke’s romantic escapades.

 

 

          Daisy Duke decided to make her presence known.  She stepped up to Luke’s side and loudly cleared her throat, instantly getting everyone’s attention.  The strikingly pretty young woman smiled warmly at Meghan and spoke. “Hi, I’m Daisy and these two knuckleheads are my cousins,” she said and earned funny looks from Bo and Luke as well as a grin from Meghan.  Daisy turned to Luke and directed her next comment to him. “Luke, I’m pretty sure Meghan has a lot she needs to do and is just too nice to tell you to shut-up.” she said with humor as she looked from Luke to the nurse.  Meghan flushed brightly and stammered, “Umm...Yeah, I really do need to get caught up on my charting and…uh… it’ll be time to make rounds again in about an hour.  I guess I had better go.  I’ll let you know if there are any changes with your uncle.  Nice to meet ya’ll.”  The pretty brunette waved and then walked quickly to the nurses’ station, sat down and began to write in one of her many charts. 

 

As she wrote about one of her patients, Meghan thought that it would be really nice to get to know the Duke family better, if only as friends, since she was still new to Georgia.  They all seemed like really nice people and she wondered if she would ever see any of them after their uncle was released from the hospital.

 

 

 

          Luke Duke glared angrily at Daisy for her interruption.  Daisy ignored him and proceeded to herd her two male cousins toward the elevators.  Luke quickly lost his anger and waved at Meghan as they turned to leave.  Bo gave the nurse a soft smile and quickly ducked his head; as if afraid she would see him. Daisy was very surprised at the boys’ behavior…especially Bo’s strange shyness.  Usually he was flirting and talking with every woman in site…young, old, beautiful or plain.  He was unusually quiet…it was weird!  Maybe it was just because he felt bad.  She had a funny feeling, though, that something would end up happening between her cousins over all this, but she quickly pushed the thought away. 

 

The entire time the Dukes were waiting for the elevator, Bo craned his neck to get a glimpse of the petite nurse who was now sitting behind the desk at the end of the hall.  Daisy noticed, but Luke didn’t seem to see his blond cousin’s quiet interest in Meghan Riley.  Luke was too busy making his own plans to see the little nurse again.  The three boarded the elevator and rode in silence down to the first-floor lobby.

 

 

 

When the elevator car stopped, Bo sighed loudly and hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets.  As he, Luke and Daisy walked out into the lobby and toward the sliding glass doors, Bo hunched his shoulders and looked sideways at his cousins. 

 

“I guess what we saw upstairs was just an example of what Dr. Wilson was talking about.  Uncle Jesse sure was mad.” he said nervously. Bo looked at the toes of his boots as he and his cousins exited the hospital and walked toward the jeep.

 

Luke sighed, and said, “Yeah…I guess so.  Things may be pretty rough for awhile until Uncle Jesse gets to feeling better.  You know he always gets irritable when he’s sick.  Daisy, don’t you remember…he almost whipped us all last year when he had the flu?”

 

Daisy, who was walking between her cousins, placed an arm around each man.  She said with a brief smile, “Oh, I remember alright!  Bo…Luke… don’t fret.  We’ll make it.  Things may be rough for a few weeks, but Uncle Jesse will be back to normal…just be patient.  We’ll just have to stick together like we always have. We’re Dukes and it’ll take more than this to get us down!”

 

The cousins smiled and embraced in a clumsy group-hug beside Daisy’s white jeep.  They had needed that pep talk.  Luke broke the embrace and said, tiredly, “I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m ready to see this day end!” He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. 

Bo nodded, “Me too…and we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

The Dukes climbed into the jeep and headed home to tend to the abandoned mules and start the evening chores.  After a quick supper of hamburgers, Bo, Luke and Daisy spent the evening preparing for their uncle’s return from the hospital and went to bed early; each one silently wondering if and how life at the farm would change after this day’s events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

 

          By all outward appearances, life at the Duke farm seemed to be progressing nicely after that fateful day in April.  It had been nearly a month and a half since Jesse had his episode.  Bo and Luke had taken on all of the responsibilities of the farm and were handling things quite well. Even Boss Hogg and the local law seemed to have called a truce with them during Jesse’s recovery to allow them the freedom to do their work in peace.  Friends and family from all over had visited Jesse during the past couple weeks; making the farm a busier place than usual.  The corn had been planted and was growing nicely; promising a good harvest.  The farmhouse was kept in good repair and the animals were thriving.  Daisy and the boys helped Jesse regain his strength and now the senior Duke was getting around the farm with only occasional help.  He was still a little weak, at times, but he was able to perform as many light chores as the kids would let him! The lingering effects of Jesse’s stroke, however, were more troubling.

 

 

Jesse’s temper was very short and he even seemed to have some personality changes.  He treated Luke and Daisy pretty well and rarely lost his temper with them…Bo, however, was a different story.  In the past, Jesse had treated his energetic and over-emotional youngest nephew with endless patience and only lost his temper with him for serious breeches of the house rules. Now, Bo caught the brunt of Jesse’s frustrations over his health.  Nothing the young man did suited Jesse.  It became routine for Bo to get chewed out two or three times a day; most of the time for no apparent reason.  Jesse’s usual behavior toward Bo had changed as if from daylight to dark!  For example:  Every year, Jesse had celebrated all the kids’ birthdays with their favorite meals, a large cake, and words of affection.  This year, Bo’s 25th birthday came and went without Jesse even acknowledging it other than saying, “…just because it’s your birthday don’t mean you can slack off on your chores” without looking up from the morning newspaper.  Daisy and Luke wanted to help Bo; but, they feared coming under Jesse’s wrath, as well…and…they really didn’t know what they could do to make things better.

 

 

The constant arguments and the tense atmosphere at home were taking a toll on Bo.  He had become abnormally quiet and seemed to be falling into a deep depression.  Bo felt that even if he did talk about what was worrying him it still wouldn’t change things…so why bother.  The cheerful light that usually glowed in his dark-blue eyes had all but disappeared.  He had grown to dread being in the same room with his uncle…he hated to hear Jesse yell at him and he hated feeling so hurt afterwards…and he felt ashamed of himself for thinking that way.  He didn’t know what he was going to do…how much more could he take? When would Jesse return to normal? When would his life return to normal?

 

 Besides his problems with Jesse, Bo absolutely could not get that little nurse from Tri-County off his mind!  He wanted to go talk to her, but with all that was going on, he didn’t think it would be a good time to get involved.  He kept these thoughts to himself as well because he was afraid Luke would make fun of him for his insecurities about approaching Meghan.  Little did Bo realize that he was not the only man in the Duke house who was thinking about Meghan Riley.  

 

 

          The late-spring sun shone brightly over the pasture as the eldest Duke cousin ferociously hammered nails into the section of fence he was repairing.   Luke’s worry at everything that was going on at the farm manifested itself in carefully disguised anger.  He noticed that he and his cousins dealt with the recent changes differently.  Bo became withdrawn…Daisy went to work and stayed busy to get her mind off things…and he got angry.  He was angry at Jesse, at Bo, and at himself for being unable to do anything.  As a result of this anger, he had been quicker than usual to come back at Bo with sarcastic or insulting comments; unwittingly adding to Bo’s emotional turmoil…he didn’t mean to hurt his cousin, he just didn’t realize he was doing it sometimes.  He wanted the old Bo and the old Jesse back!  He wanted his family back! He wanted his best friend back! This was worse than if Bo had actually left the farm!  Luke’s light-blue eyes scanned the fence line and watched as Bo carried pieces of lumber to another area that needed repair; the blond man’s eyes were downcast, his face set into an emotionless mask…the way he had been for most of the last month.   Bo was there, physically, but he seemed to be so withdrawn…almost a shadow of his former self.  Luke had tried to interest his cousin in racing, going to the Boar’s Nest, talking about girls, going to Cooter’s, working on the General…anything…but Bo seemed not to care about the things that had interested him before.  He felt sorry for Bo’s situation with Jesse…he really did…but he was angry at Bo for abandoning him and their friendship!

 

Luke found he really missed talking with his cousin.  In the past, he had often wanted Bo to shut-up, but now he missed the constant chatter.  He was used to Bo telling him every single little thing, asking his advice, coming to him to solve problems, and just being there to listen when he decided to open up to someone.  He wanted to tell Bo about the girl he had been talking to and was planning to see regularly.  He wanted to talk to Bo about Jesse.  He wanted Bo to open up to him like he used to. But, since Jesse had started treating Bo differently, Bo didn’t seem to want to talk at all…and Luke felt awkward trying to talk to someone who didn’t want to talk back.

 

 There was something else bothering Bo besides Jesse…he just knew it…and for the life of him, Luke had no idea what it could be.

 

Luke also worried about Bo’s asthma.  Bo had been wheezing in his sleep for the past couple of nights and he often woke up coughing. Bo denied any problems but Luke knew better. He knew that Bo had not been to see Doc. Appleby like he was supposed to after the attack in April.  He also knew he should have reminded Bo, but…Bo was a grown man and he was perfectly able to take care of himself…

 

 

The dark-haired man continued to pound nails into the fence, viciously, as his mind raced, trying to vent some of his feelings.  Bo had returned to the section of fence Luke was working on and tiredly leaned against the gate as he raised the bottom of his shirt to wipe sweat from his face.  Luke noticed his cousin just standing there, doing nothing while he worked.  The older man suddenly, and inexplicably, felt his anger rise. 

 

“Damn it, Bo…quit your moping around and get back to work or we’ll never get finished,” he yelled and threw his hammer to the ground.

 

Bo just looked at his cousin.  Luke saw the younger man’s eyes flash and his body tense with anger of his own before being replaced with an intense look of sadness. The tall blond then quietly turned and walked away from Luke, into the thick woods that surrounded the Duke property; ignoring the words of apology that followed him.

 

Luke wanted to kick himself.  ‘Why did I do that?’ he thought, ‘He’ll really want to tell you what’s bothering him now!’ He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he fought with himself over what to do next.  He decided to give Bo some time to himself.  Maybe then, his cousin would be ready to talk, or at least be ready to accept his apology. 

 

He hoped Bo would soon be ready to talk to him again.  Luke really wanted to be able to tell Bo about his upcoming date with Meghan …but, something kept holding him back.  He would tell him, eventually, maybe even tonight…but, with the way Bo was acting, he probably wouldn’t care.

 

 

          Bo Duke walked along the edge of the woods that skirted the Duke property.  He savagely wiped away the hot tears that were coursing down his cheeks.  ‘Damn it!  Why do I have to act like a cry-baby all the time? I’m a grown man...I’m too old for this mess!  Why can’t I be more like Luke? He’s a rock…he acts like nothing ever bothers him.’  Bo had always been easily provoked to tears and, as a result, had endured many years of teasing.  He was deeply ashamed that all of his emotions ran so close to the surface and he felt that if Luke or Jesse found out he had been crying…well…it would just be one more reason to ridicule him. Bo soon returned to the farm and busied himself with chores.  He became lost in his thoughts, which seemed to be his normal state lately. 

 

 

 As he mucked out Maudine’s stall, Bo thought about the events of the past month.  Luke was right…he was moping around. He felt alienated from his family and felt so lost.  He was also lovesick!  For some inexplicable reason, Meghan Riley’s soft green eyes and gentle voice haunted his dreams and even his waking hours!  He was smitten…even though he hadn’t even seen the adorable nurse since that day in the hospital.  He didn’t understand how it could be possible, but he just knew…Meghan was the one!  The only problem was he was afraid to talk to her! ‘She’d probably just laugh at me if I tried to ask her out.’ he said to himself, dejectedly.  ‘She’s got a good job and she must be pretty sharp in order to get a nursing degree.  Hell…she hangs around with doctors all day long!  What could a part-time farmer, part-time racecar driver and full-time goofball like me offer Meghan?’ he despaired; his mind racing. 

 

After a couple of hours of mulling things over while he worked, Bo vowed that he would track Meghan down and ask her out just as soon as the other things in his life settled down. ‘Lord knows she sure wouldn’t want to get mixed up with me, now, while everything’s so crazy,’ he laughed to himself; his mood lightening a little since he had finally made his decision to talk to the young woman who occupied his mind. 

 

 

Bo was still working when Luke got back from finishing the fence.  The older Duke boy slowly walked into the barn.  He took a deep breath. “Hey Bo.” he said quietly as he watched Bo pitch hay into a stall.  The younger man turned to face Luke; his expression said that he was ready for a confrontation if necessary.  The cousins looked at each other for a long while. Both were unsure what to say about the incident in the pasture.

 

Luke stuffed his hands in his back pockets, looked at a patch of ground near his feet, and started to apologize, “Bo, I’m s…”

 

Bo could see his cousin’s discomfort and sincerity.  “Forget it.  We’re all a little short-tempered around here lately.” said Bo as he laid aside the hayfork and held out his hand. 

 

Luke smiled and shook his cousin’s hand. “Friends?” Luke asked. 

 

“Yeah…after all, I’m the only person around who could put up with you,” Bo said with a little smile crossing his face as he lightly punched Luke in the arm. His cousin made a face and slapped him on the back.

 

Cordial relations restored, the two men finished up the evening chores and then headed into the house for supper.

 

 

 

          Daisy had outdone herself!  She had worked in the kitchen most of the afternoon and had prepared a great meal for her guys.  The men ate till they were stuffed and then the family sat around the table talking.  It almost seemed like old times.  Even Jesse seemed to be in a good mood. He laughed at some of the things Luke and Daisy said and he relayed some news he had heard when he and Daisy had gone into town that morning.  Bo was still rather quiet, but he, too, joined in the conversation; talking with Luke about an upcoming race.  He really enjoyed hearing his uncle’s laughter again and hoped it wouldn’t be too long till Jesse was back to his old self.

 

After a lull in the conversation, Daisy decided it was time for dessert and she began to dish out peach cobbler.  Both Bo and Luke were leaned back in their chairs; Bo had his eyes shut and looked almost asleep while Luke had his hands behind his head and wore a sly grin. 

 

Jesse noticed the grin and asked, as he stroked his beard, “Luke, why on earth are you grinning like a possum?”

 

Luke lowered all four legs of his chair to the ground and placed his elbows on the table.  “Well,” he drawled, “I’m just thinking about my date for Friday night.”  He laughed at Bo’s reaction. 

 

Bo’s eyes had opened wide and he grinned at Luke as he said, “Well, cousin, don’t keep us in suspense…who is the poor girl?”

 

Luke smiled at this typical behavior from his wise-cracking young cousin. 

“If you just gotta know, cuz, the lucky lady is Meghan Riley…you know, that cute little nurse we met at Tri-County when Uncle Jesse…was… in… the… hospital.” Luke’s teasing voice trailed off in confusion as he took in Bo’s reaction to his statement.

 

Bo had jerked at the mention of Meghan’s name.  His chair overturned and landed with a crash.  He just sat in the floor with a stricken look on his face.     He didn’t even hear anything else Luke was saying.  His mind screamed: NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!  Not MY Meghan…and not Luke…anyone but Luke!”  Bo wouldn’t have had a second thought about trying to steal his girl away from some other guy but he couldn’t do that to his best friend and brother.

Meghan was lost to him now…he’d missed his chance!

 

Daisy just looked at Bo, with a touch of pity in her gentle eyes. She had a feeling she knew why her baby cousin looked so upset, but she didn’t want to bring it up in front of the others.

 

Luke jumped up to help his cousin; he was worried that Bo had hurt himself. He looked as if he had been gut-punched!

 

 

 

 

Bo brushed Luke’s hands away as he righted the chair and sat down hard.

He looked at Luke, eyes wide and serious, and asked, “When, Luke…how long…?  I mean…I didn’t even know you liked her.  When did you ask her?”

 

“Last week, Bo.  I’ve been talking with her for the past couple of weeks…but, since we haven’t been talking as much lately…I guess I just didn’t get around to telling you.”  Luke noticed the brief pained look that shone in Bo’s eyes and he wondered what it was for.  He narrowed his eyes, bristled slightly and asked, “Why, cousin?  Is there a problem or something?”

 

“No…nothing.  It’s…” Bo started to say before Jesse cut him off.

 

“It’s none of your business, is what it is, Beauregard Duke.  Luke can date who he wants to and when without you having to know about it in advance.  Now you apologize for your childish behavior tonight.”  Jesse said quietly as he looked at Bo with hardened, narrowed eyes.  The good mood of the evening had definitely ended.

 

Luke interjected, trying to stall the upcoming argument, “Uncle Jesse…it’s OK.  I don’t mind.”

 

“Stop taking up for him, Lukas!  He needs to learn how to act like a grown man!  He’s been sulking around here for the last few weeks like a baby.  I swear…that boy has been acting more of a fool than usual and I’ve just about had enough!  I’m about ready to take a switch to him…and you too, if need be.  Is that what you want?”  Jesse growled as he stood up to face his eldest nephew. 

 

Luke backed off and let his uncle have his space. “No, sir” he mumbled.

 

 

 

Bo had come to his breaking point.  They were talking about him like he wasn’t even there!  He pushed himself up from his chair and glared at his uncle.  “Now Uncle Jesse, wait just a…” Bo began; his voice growing louder with barely suppressed emotion.

 

“Boy, don’t you talk back to me!  Hush up and sit down…I’m not through with you yet.” Jesse warned ominously as he pointed his finger at Bo.

 

“But, I...”

 

I said HUSH…” a loud “Crack” resounded through the kitchen as the back of Jesse’s right hand connected with the side of Bo’s face!  Bo’s head jerked back, his blond hair falling across his eyes.

 

The silence that filled the farmhouse kitchen was deafening.

 

Luke and Daisy stood in wide-eyed shock; holding their breath. Neither of them had expected anything like that! They watched the confrontation between their cousin and uncle with concern. 

 

 

 

Bo raised his head slowly, tears in his eyes.   He couldn’t believe it!  His uncle had never struck him like that before.  Now of course, Jesse had blistered his hard-headed nephew’s butt--many times--when the boy needed discipline…but he had always controlled his temper and never touched him in anger.  This blow hurt Bo, emotionally, more than any whipping he had ever gotten…it tore at his heart that his loving, patient uncle had turned into this cold stranger! The young man locked eyes with the angry white-haired man before him; his body trembled in a volatile combination of rage, pain, fear, and sadness. 

 

Jesse saw the distress in his nephew’s eyes and the livid red mark on his cheek.  The unreasonable anger he had been filled with began to melt away and was quickly replaced by shame and guilt.  “Bo, son…I’m so sorry…” the old man said as he reached out toward his nephew with a shaky hand.

 

Luke saw that Bo was breathing hard and that his cousin’s jaw was clenched tightly, the muscles in his face twitched.  Bo was so upset and tense that his body appeared to vibrate!  Luke noticed the signs that signaled an explosion of Bo’s formidable temper.  His cousin was either going to punch someone or run.  “Bo, wait…” he hollered just as his cousin bolted from the kitchen.  The slamming of the screen door reverberated through the silent room as the three remaining Dukes looked at each other.  Daisy finally gave in to her frustrations and cried; upset over what had become of her family.  Luke comforted her as he watched Jesse deal with the events of the last few minutes.  His own feelings of pain and worry tried to come to the surface, but he stamped them down.  He had to be strong for the others. 

 

Luke let go of Daisy, after she had settled down, and walked over to kneel in front of his uncle’s chair.  “He’ll be back, Uncle Jesse.  Bo always comes back.  He just needs to sort things out.” he said, in an attempt to comfort his uncle.

 

“I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.  I’ve treated him so awful…I realize that now.  Luke…go after him, please.  You can get Bo to come home.  Tell him…tell him that I need to talk to him.” Jesse asked quietly, his voice shaking, a single tear tracking down his weathered face. The old man had seemed to age 10 years since the banging of the screen door. 

 

Luke nodded; the sight of his uncle looking so lost had left him unable to speak.  He gently embraced his uncle, rose to his feet, and headed out into the humid Georgia night to track down his run-away cousin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

“Bo…where the hell are you?”  Luke said, under his breath, as he trudged through the woods adjacent to the Duke property.  He knew that Bo couldn’t be far since he had left on foot.  The younger man was fairly consistent when it came to his hiding spots…the barn loft, the old Indian caves, or the pond.  Luke had already checked the barn and was now headed toward the pond. 

 

Bo Duke raced through the underbrush; he paid no attention to where his feet were taking him.  Tree limbs and bushes tore at his skin and clothes.  He didn’t notice.  He was enraged and his heart was breaking…he felt totally alone.  Jesse, the only daddy he had ever known, had turned against him and what’s worse…Luke and Daisy had not lifted a finger in his defense during the long weeks leading to tonight’s confrontation!  Luke was supposed to be his best friend…his brother...he should’ve done something…he should have helped him! His family didn’t seem to care about him…and, now… he had even lost his chance at love.

 

How could Luke do this to him?   His dream had been killed before it had a chance to live!  Bo knew he had no right to be angry at Luke…his cousin had no idea that he liked Meghan, too.  It wasn’t Luke’s fault that he couldn’t get up the nerve to talk to Meghan sooner.  He knew Luke wouldn’t hurt him on purpose…but it still didn’t stop the pain that wrenched his heart.  He knew that his little angel would probably like Luke better, anyway.  Luke would be good for her…she deserved someone smart and stable like Luke.  “She doesn’t need a screw-up like me,” Bo whispered into the warm night as he tried to outrun his pain.  The upset young man, consumed with his inner turmoil, paid no heed to the burning sensation in his lungs that intensified with every footfall.

 

 

 

Luke quietly approached the pond.  He didn’t see his cousin anywhere and was just about to head toward the caves when he heard the sound of boots crashing through the woods.  He turned and saw Bo emerge into the clearing around the pond.  Luke could see that his younger cousin was still very upset.  He called out to Bo, hoping to get him to stop his frenzied flight.

 

Bo didn’t slow down when he heard Luke’s shout.  Instead, he turned away from Luke, headed back into the woods, and yelled, “Leave me alone!”

Luke swore and ran after him.  The dark-haired man soon caught up to his fair-haired cousin and tackled him.  The two men struggled…Bo tried to break free of his stronger cousin’s grip and Luke tried to pin the taller blond to the ground.

 

Luke was determined that he would get Bo to go back home…even if it meant he had to hog-tie him and drag him!

 

“Bo…settle down!  Jesse wants you to come home.  He’s sorry…he wants to talk to you…to make things right,” Luke huffed, as he wrestled with Bo.

 

“He doesn’t care…none of you do!” Bo yelled, breathlessly, as he struggled to get out of Luke’s grip. He managed to punch his older cousin in the stomach.

 

“OOF…that ain’t true and you know it, Bo Duke!” Luke replied through clenched teeth, slightly winded.  He stilled as he heard an odd sound that caught his attention…a high-pitched, irregular, whistling sound. 

 

Bo realized, too late, that he had forgotten to go see Doc Appleby about his asthma!  The combination of his heightened emotional state, the humid air, and the exertion of running and wrestling with Luke had triggered a life-threatening attack.  His lungs suddenly felt as if they were filled with shards of glass.  His airway was constricting very rapidly and he could barely get any air.  Bo’s eyes grew wide with fear as he abruptly stopped his struggle; he wheezed shrilly with every breath.

 

Luke’s mouth went dry as he realized the sound was being made by his cousin!  He looked down at Bo’s fearful expression and felt chills go down his spine.  By the sound of it, Bo was in serious trouble.  The younger man had started to turn pale; the beginnings of a large bruise showing starkly on his left cheek.  

 

Luke immediately got up and helped Bo to his feet. 

“Bo…come on, buddy, we need to get you home and call Doc,” he said gently, trying to mask his own fear.  Bo just nodded as he wheezed loudly.

 

The cousins walked back to farm as quickly as they could; Luke supported Bo as he struggled to breathe.  The men gradually had to slow their pace, though; as Bo grew weaker and started to become incoherent. 

 

“Come on, little cousin, we’re almost home…just a little more.” Luke encouraged; almost dragging Bo now.  He was becoming more worried.  His cousin had never experienced an asthma attack this severe; even when he was a kid and had often been ill due to breathing problems. 

 

Bo felt strange…he could barely put one foot in front of the other and had trouble thinking as his body starved for oxygen. His airway had constricted to the point where he felt like someone was strangling him to death!  He vaguely realized he needed to keep moving. He attempted to speak to Luke but was unable to as his vision swam and darkness engulfed him.

 

Three-quarters of the way to the house, Bo’s body went limp and began to fall to the ground.  Luke caught his cousin and frantically tried to rouse him, with no success.  Bo had passed out due to lack of oxygen. Luke noticed that Bo’s breathing had become increasingly labored and very irregular.  He had heard of people dying from asthma attacks and he feared Bo would be one of them if they didn’t get help soon!  Luke hefted the taller man over his shoulder and broke into a trot.  The dark-haired Duke nearly cried in relief when the porch light of the farmhouse became visible.  He yelled for Daisy and Jesse as he reached the edge of the yard.

 

 

 

While Luke and Bo had been struggling in the woods, Daisy had been doing her best to console Jesse.  She assured him that she, Luke, and Bo all loved him and that they understood why he may have been acting differently.  Jesse felt even guiltier than he already was when he realized how patient his kids had been with him.  He hoped that Luke could persuade Bo to return home.

 

“How could I have treated Bo like that?” he said, sadly.

 

“You were just frustrated…I guess you needed someone to take it all out on…”

 

“That may be…but it don’t excuse how I acted.  It wasn’t his fault that I had a stroke.  I’ve tried not to notice how different Bo has been lately…but it’s all my fault…and now he might not ever come home…” Jesse’s voice trailed off as he tried to fight tears.

 

“Don’t worry, Uncle Jesse. Luke will bring him home…” Daisy suddenly stopped talking and turned toward the door.  She had heard someone outside, yelling.

 

“That’s Luke.  Something’s wrong.” Jesse said, worriedly, as he stood up and joined his niece at the door.

The white haired man opened the screen-door just as Luke stepped onto the porch with his burden.

 

“Call Doc!  He can’t breathe and it’s getting worse!” Luke exclaimed, out of breath himself from carrying Bo.  He carried his cousin into the house.

 

Daisy rushed to the telephone to call Hazzard’s local physician, Doctor Appleby.

 

“What’s the matter with him,” Jesse asked, worriedly, as he observed Bo’s pale, sweat-dampened skin, his scratched arms, and labored breathing.

 

“He’s having another asthma attack and this one’s real bad.” Luke answered, curtly, as he laid the unconscious Bo on the living room couch.

 

“Huh…what do you mean another attack?  He hasn’t had one in years.” Jesse questioned as he propped his nephew’s head and shoulders onto pillows in order to make breathing easier.

 

“He had one the day you had your stroke…we didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to worry,” Daisy explained; hanging up the phone before joining the others in the living room.

“Doc’s on his way.  He needs to stop by his office to get a few things first.”

 

“Well…he’d better hurry.” Luke said, quietly, as he brushed Bo’s damp hair from his forehead.  His cousin’s skin was cool and clammy and a faint bluish tinge could now be seen around his pale lips and fingernails.  His breathing seemed to be getting worse, if that was possible!

 

The ferocity of this attack scared the usually calm Duke.  What if Bo had been alone when it happened?  Luke was certain that if that had been the case, he might have found his cousin lying dead in the woods.  The thought and the image it conjured chilled him to his bones!  What if Doc is too late?  Luke didn’t even want to imagine that possibility!  He shook his head, as if to clear his mind, and went to stand by the window; watching for the doctor.

 

Jesse prayed his old friend, Doc, would get there in time…this was the worst spell he had ever seen Bo have.  He winced as he heard the labored, painful breathing of the young man before him.  His mind reeled with the news that Bo’s asthma had returned and he hadn’t known about it.  He spoke to his nephew in a gentle soothing voice, much like he had when Bo was young and had been scared over something, “It’s OK, son…your Uncle Jesse’s here.  You’re gonna be all right…just rest easy.  Doc’s on his way…”

The old man stroked Bo’s face and hair as he spoke.  His heart fell when he noticed the large bruise that spread across the pale skin.  “I’m so sorry, Bo…for everything I’ve put you through.  When you wake up we’ve got a lot to talk about.” he softly told the unconscious young man he had raised as a son.

 

 

          Twenty minutes after Daisy’s frantic phone call, Dr. Appleby arrived at the Duke farm.  Luke heard the doctor’s old blue car pull up in the yard and ran to open the door for him.

 

“Good time Doc!  You must have flown to get here!” Luke said as the older man hurried into the house.

 

“Well, I figured I needed to get here quick if Bo’s having as much trouble as Daisy said he was.” The seasoned physician saw the young man lying on the couch and immediately went to his side.  He noticed the ominous blue color tinting Bo’s lips, heard the rough breathing and frowned.  He pulled a stethoscope from his bag; jerked Bo’s torn T-shirt up, and listened to the young man’s lungs.  Doc made a serious looking face and quickly started taking supplies from his medical bag.  He grabbed Bo’s arm, swabbed the inside of his elbow with antiseptic, and expertly started an IV. 

 

“Daisy, hold this.” Doc said as he handed her a bag of saline solution and then attached it’s tubing to the IV canula in Bo’s arm.

 

“Luke, go out to my car and get the oxygen tank in the back seat.  When you get it…set it up right here beside Bo.”  Luke rushed to do the doctor’s bidding.  Jesse looked on, worriedly, as his old friend worked quickly to help his nephew.

The doctor said very little as he worked.  His face wore a very serious, concerned expression as he decided which medications to give Bo.  After measuring the correct dosages, Doc Appleby injected the breathing medications into Bo’s IV.  Luke quickly returned with the oxygen tank and sat it in the floor near his cousin’s head.  Doc connected an oxygen mask and tubing to the tank, regulated the flow and placed the mask over Bo’s nose and mouth.

 

After a frantic few minutes, the old doctor sat back on his heels and sighed, loudly. 

 

“Now we wait for the medicine to do its work.  What I want to know is when did this problem start up again and why didn’t he come see me?  He had to have warning signs before now.  I mean…he’s very lucky, Jesse!  An attack this bad could easily have killed him!” Doc said, gruffly, as he glared up at his old friend.

 

Upon hearing Doc’s serious words, Jesse paled.  He then looked to his eldest nephew.

 

Luke swallowed hard.  He explained to the doctor about Bo’s previous episode and the recent nightly wheezing spells.  Luke felt guilty as he spoke.  He should have pestered Bo into going to the doctor, and then maybe his cousin wouldn’t be lying in this condition now.

 

The old doctor saw Luke’s worried, almost pained expression.  He patted the younger man’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, son.  That cousin of yours always comes out alright. Besides…Heaven’s not ready for the likes of Bo Duke, yet.  They need a lot more years to prepare!” the man said with a gentle smile. “He’ll be fine.”

 

 

          After a good while and another dose of medication later, Bo returned to consciousness; his oxygen level had finally approached normal.  His eyes fluttered open and he slowly looked around the familiar room.  He couldn’t remember why he was lying on the living room couch.  Why was everyone looking at him…and why was Doc there?  He felt awful…like a wrung-out dish rag!  His chest hurt and his lungs felt raw.  He then remembered the asthma attack and his struggle with Luke…but, his thoughts were still fuzzy and he didn’t quite remember why he had been wrestling with his cousin in the first place.  The young man struggled to rise from the pillows he rested against and was immediately pushed back by a strong hand.

 

“Wait a minute, sleepy-head…you need to get the OK from Doc before you get up.”  Bo looked up at the source of the gentle, very familiar touch and voice.  His uncle was standing over him; looking at him with concern. 

 

Upon seeing the bearded face, Bo was forcibly reminded of the confrontation in the kitchen…he remembered Jesse hitting him!  He immediately pulled away from his uncle’s touch and looked away.  Jesse tried to hide his hurt as he noticed Bo’s reaction, but he really couldn’t blame his nephew for not wanting to be near him right now.

 

Doc Appleby examined Bo thoroughly and scolded the young man for ignoring medical advice.  A half-hour later, he allowed Bo to take off the oxygen mask and he removed the IV.  Bo made a face and turned his head when Doc pulled out the IV.  He had always hated needles! He was just glad he hadn’t been awake when Doc had put it in!

 

The good doctor packed his things and asked Luke to load them into his car.  He gave Bo a new inhaler, scheduled a follow-up appointment for the next week, and then headed back to town after a chorus of heartfelt thanks from the whole family and the promise of one of Daisy’s home-made apple pies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6

 

 

          Bo wanted to be anywhere except where he was… but, at the moment; he could do nothing about his current location.  He didn’t think he would even be able to get to his bed without help…much less leave the house!

He tried to ignore the three people who stared at him with concern…he just didn’t want to talk right now…but he knew he would probably have to before the night was over.

 

Daisy was the first to approach Bo.  She helped him to a sitting position; steadying him through a wave of dizziness.  The young woman sniffed back her tears of relief at seeing her cousin breathing easier.  “Bo, Sugar…What are you trying to do?  Make me gray-headed before my time?” she said, with a gentle smile, as she finger-combed his thick hair away from his face.

 

“Sorry.” Bo said, hoarsely. He gave Daisy a small, lopsided grin. She then hugged him, fiercely.

 

“Hey, cuz.  Guess what?  You almost turned blue…” Luke tried to be funny, but the fearsome image of Bo’s deathly pale complexion came rushing back to him and his smile faded.  He almost whispered, “When you…I thought…” Luke couldn’t finish.  He cleared his throat, sat down on the coffee table so he could face his cousin, and instead asked, “How do you feel?  Can you breathe OK?”

 

Bo looked at Luke with questioning eyes; but he decided not to push his cousin. “Frankly…I feel like someone ran over me with the General and left him parked on my chest…but other than that, I guess I’m a lot better than I was.  It still hurts a little to breathe, though.”  Bo didn’t tell his cousin the rest.  He hoped that he wouldn’t be making a habit of having asthma attacks like the one he had tonight!  His head hurt, he was dizzy, and the medication made him feel strange and jittery.  He felt like he had a bad hang-over from too much cheap, Boar’s Nest booze!  In addition, he was utterly exhausted from both the physical and emotional ordeals he had gone through that evening. 

 

In other words…he was a train-wreck!

 

Luke noticed that Bo didn’t look at Jesse or even acknowledge the older man’s presence in the room.  He stood up and briefly enfolded his cousin in a brotherly hug.  “Don’t make a habit of this, Bo!  I might have a heart attack if I have to haul your carcass through the woods again.” he said, with another attempt at humor to lighten the mood in the room and to mask his own emotions. 

 

Bo smiled at his almost-brother and caught his light-blue eyes with his own sincere, dark-blue eyes.  “Thanks Luke.  I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 

“Don’t mention it little bro’.” Luke said; his voice thickening with emotion.  He motioned for Daisy to follow and the two cousins went into the kitchen to leave Bo and Jesse alone in the living room.

 

 

 

Jesse approached his tired, hurting nephew and slowly sat down next to him on the couch. 

 

Bo didn’t move.  He just wanted to get this night over with and go to bed so he could deal with his feelings of loss over Meghan in peace.

 

Jesse tenderly touched the bruise on Bo’s cheek; hating the fact that he had caused the mark.  Bo flinched, slightly, but otherwise did not acknowledge the man beside him.  Bo wanted to tell Jesse to go away and leave him alone…but…he was raised to be respectful and he figured he should at least let his uncle have his say.  ‘After all…maybe things have changed,’ Bo hoped.

 

The old man drew a deep, ragged breath and turned his nephew’s head to face him.  His heart clenched at the look of pain and sadness that emanated from Bo’s expressive eyes.  “I’m sorry, Bo.  I don’t blame you for not trusting me anymore.  I’ve treated you bad the last month or so…I didn’t realize I was doing it…but it happened, and I’m sorry.  I never meant to hurt you.”  He sighed and gave a small chuckle, “I guess that silly ol’ saying is true... ‘You always hurt the ones you love’.  I do love you, son, and I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive this old fool.”  Tears of regret streaked down Jesse’s face and into his thick beard.

 

Bo saw the truth in Jesse’s gentle eyes and felt the familiar, fatherly love in his touch and voice.  He’s back!  Uncle Jesse’s back! Bo’s spirits instantly lightened. The cold, distant stranger that had been masquerading as his uncle for the last month was finally gone!

 

Jesse noticed that Bo’s eyes were shining with tears.  He stroked his nephew’s hair and pulled him into an embrace.  Bo’s face crumpled as he gave in and released the weeks of emotional torment he had been through and the current pain he felt (but couldn’t speak of) over Meghan.  He dropped his head to Jesse’s shoulder and cried like a baby…and for once, he didn’t care who saw him.  He was just grateful to have this part of his world return to normal. He’d find a way to deal with his heartbreak later.

 

Luke and Daisy had over-heard Jesse’s words and risked a glance into the living room to see their cousin’s response.  They saw their uncle holding Bo tightly; rocking gently as he offered the lanky young man comfort.  Bo was crying deep, wrenching sobs and murmuring words they couldn’t hear; holding on to his uncle for dear life. Jesse made soft, soothing replies as he shed quiet tears of his own.  The two cousins wrapped arms around each other and turned away from the emotional scene; secure in the knowledge that their family would once again be whole.

 

 

 

          After a long while, Bo stopped crying.  He was worn-out, physically, and emotionally drained.  He hoped to never have another night like this… ever!   He sniffed, raised his head from his uncle’s shoulder and looked into the adjoining room where Luke and Daisy waited. 

 

He sat up; embarrassed about his ‘melt-down’ now that it was over, and swiped at his eyes.  “Ya’ll can come back in now…the water-works have dried up…I don’t think you’ll drown!” he said with a sheepish grin.  Jesse smiled at the welcome return of Bo’s humor and struggled to regain his own composure.

 

Luke and Daisy joined Bo and Jesse in the living room.  Daisy brought a pot of coffee and four cups with her.  Her eyes were red from her own tears as she spoke to Bo, “Don’t sweat it, Hon.  We’ve all cried enough lately to flood Hazzard Square!  I thought we could use a little caffeine after the night we’ve had,” she said, pouring the coffee and passing the first cup to her blond cousin.

 

“Thanks…but I feel like I could use something a bit stronger.  I wonder how coffee would taste with a little snort of Jesse’s shine in it…” Bo said with a slight grin, as he held the cup with both hands.  He briefly questioned the idea of adding caffeine into his already jittery body, but shrugged it off.  He doubted he would have any trouble sleeping tonight…even if he drank the whole pot!

 

Luke raised an eyebrow at Bo’s comment. “You getting drunk is the last thing we need tonight…so stay out of the shine!” he replied, with a laugh, as he accepted his own cup.

 

The family sat close and began to mend the wounds of the last few weeks. 

 

 

 

Jesse watched his kids, fondly.  This had been a rough night for them all. He was still not at 100%, himself, and he felt very tired.  He decided he should call it a night…after all it was nearly 1:00 am!

 

“Well, young’uns, I’m getting these old bones to bed and I’ll advise ya’ll to do likewise.  We all need a good nights sleep and mornin’ will be here before we know it.”  Jesse stood up, stretched, and began to walk toward the hall to his room.  He stopped, and turned to face the cousins.  He smiled in his beard and said, with his eyes twinkling, “Next time I decide to act a fool like I did these last few weeks, one of you just give me a swift kick to the seat of my britches…maybe that will get it all over with quicker.”

 

Daisy’s eyes went wide and she coughed in reply.

 

 Bo hooted with laughter and said, “I think I’ll give that job to Luke.”

 

Luke gave his cousin a mock scowl, “Gee thanks!  What do want to do…get me killed or something?”  The four Dukes laughed together at the comment and then Jesse went on to bed.

 

Daisy yawned loudly and soon followed her uncle’s example, leaving Luke to put the cups in the sink after he and Bo finished their coffee.  She hugged both her cousins and dropped a kiss on top of Bo’s head, saying “I love ya, Cousin” softly, as she passed.  He smiled and said, “Love you, too.  Sleep tight.”

 

 

 

Luke placed the dirty cups in the sink and came back to where Bo was sitting.  He looked at his younger cousin and shook his head.  Bo looked rough!  The blond man was still wheezing a little and was barely able to sit upright. His eyes were slightly closed and had dark circles underneath.  The left side of Bo’s face was dominated by a bruise that bloomed over his cheek-bone.  The rest of his complexion was still a little pale underneath the dark-blond stubble that sprouted over his jaw-line and cheeks.  Bo looked like he was very tired and in pain.

 

Luke watched as the younger man yawned widely and rubbed his eyes.  Luke was instantly 9 ½ years-old again…

He could picture an almost 5 year-old Bo sitting in the same spot; wearing a pair of thread-bare, hand-me-down pajamas, doing the exact same thing and saying, “…but Luke, I’m not sleepy yet!”

He smiled at the memory from their happy childhood and was surprised at the fierce protectiveness he still felt toward his “baby brother”.

 

“Come on, kiddo,” Luke said, lapsing into one of his many old nicknames for Bo, “let’s get you to bed.”

 

Bo opened one eye, made a face and looked up at his cousin.  “Luke…,” he said with a sideways smile, “I think it’s about time you stopped calling me that stupid nickname…even if I did act like a kid and ended up bawlin’ like a baby tonight.”  Bo’s expression grew serious.

 

Luke sat down by his cousin. “It’s OK, Bo.  You had good reason to cry.  Hell…I almost cried a few times tonight myself.” he admitted.

 

Bo looked at Luke.  “…You?  Why?”

 

Luke had a serious look on his face.  He took a deep breath and began to speak softly and haltingly; like it took a lot of effort to say the words.  “Because…everyone was upset…I was upset.  I could tell you were hurting…you’ve been hurting like that for a long time…and I couldn’t do anything about it.  I really wish I had done more to prevent all this, Bo.  I shoulda done something…I could’ve talked to Jesse and I should’ve made you go see Doc!  I feel like I let you down...”

 

Bo kept silent.  He didn’t want Luke to know that he had actually felt that he had been let down.  The situation was over now…no need to bring up old problems that didn’t matter now.

“…and…I thought…” Luke went silent for a minute and looked at the wall.

 

“What Luke?”

 

“I thought you were gonna die!  When we were in the woods and you passed out on me…you looked real bad and sounded worse.  I really thought we would lose you before Doc got here.” Luke quickly wiped his eyes.   “You scared me, kid.” he said as he squeezed Bo’s shoulder.

 

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Bo said softly.  He was slightly unnerved at this rare glimpse of emotion from Luke.

 

“I know that!  It’s not like you tried to suffocate yourself on purpose…at least you better not have!” Luke chuckled and ruffled Bo’s hair; the action made the naturally wavy strands stick out in all directions. Bo reflexively tried to smooth his unruly locks and frowned at his older cousin. Luke was pleased to see the all too familiar gesture…his buddy was finally getting back to normal!

“Let’s go to bed…I know I’m tired and you look like you’re gonna fall over.”

 

“Just leave me here…I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.  I honestly don’t wanna move.” Bo yawned, hugely; his exhaustion apparent in his dark-blue eyes.

 

“Well if you’re staying out here, then so am I.”

 

Bo protested and briefly argued with his cousin over this idea.

 

Luke let him fuss for a bit and then put his foot down. “Hush, Bo.  I’m not leaving you alone until I know you’re better.  I can still hear you wheeze and I don’t want you having an attack in your sleep without anyone around to know about it.”

 

 Bo was grateful for his cousin’s concern, but he couldn’t just let Luke win without giving him a hard time!  He threw up his hands and sighed, theatrically, “Alright, alright…you win…but you’ll have to help me get up.” He held a hand out to Luke. 

 

Luke grabbed his cousin and quickly pulled him off the couch into a standing position.  A little too quickly!

 

Bo was very wobbly and would have fallen to floor if Luke had not been holding on to him.  The blond closed his eyes to avoid seeing the room spin.  He felt the blood drain from his head as his blood pressure adjusted to his abrupt change of position.

 

Luke briefly feared his cousin would pass out again; Bo had gone as white as a sheet! “You OK?” Luke asked, nervously. He had his arm tight around Bo, holding the taller man upright.

 

Bo nodded, slowly. “Yeah, just give me a minute…” he said in a weak voice.

When his balance was restored, Bo allowed Luke to help him towards the room they had shared since childhood.

 

Half-way down the hall, Bo began to laugh, loudly!  Luke looked at him funny.  “Bo…has that medicine made you loopy?”

 

“No…I was just thinking…Luke, I swear…you can be as stubborn as a jackass sometimes!  Do you always have to get your way?” he said, giving Luke a sideways grin; hoping his cousin wouldn’t take this statement as an insult.

 

Luke grinned back; he understood Bo’s meaning. As he opened the door to their room, he replied with a cocky look, “Of course!  I’m a Duke ain’t I? 

 

He and Bo almost collapsed with helpless laughter:  it was that time of night when everything was hilarious!  They were both happy to have the atmosphere in the house return to a somewhat normal state. The boys crawled into their beds (Bo didn’t even bother to undress) and were soon sound asleep.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

          All too soon, 5:30 am arrived at the Duke farm.  The resident rooster crowed to announce that it was time to get up and start the morning chores.  Luke Duke tried to ignore the annoying bird and go back to sleep, but his alarm clock soon started to buzz.  He sat up, bleary eyed, and slammed the button to turn off the offending sound.  The rooster crowed again to make sure everyone in the house was awake.  Luke growled, under his breath, “OK…I’m up.  One of these days, that bird is gonna end up in a pot of dumplings!”  He groaned, rubbed his hands over his face, and slowly got dressed for doing chores in jeans and a cotton shirt.  As he sat on the bed, putting on his boots, he hollered at his still sleeping cousin; just as he had done almost everyday for nearly twenty years, now.  

 

 “Bo…wake up.  Bo!  Get your lazy butt out of bed! The chores ain’t gonna do themselves.”

 

 Bo continued to snore and didn’t even stir; in fact, he appeared not to have moved an inch since falling, fully clothed, into the bed.  Luke noticed that Bo still looked pretty tired even though he was asleep!  The dark-haired man had pity on his cousin, shook his head, and said, “OK…I’ll let you sleep in for a while…but you’ll owe me one!”

Luke finished up then walked from his room to join Jesse and Daisy in the kitchen. 

 

 

          Jesse was helping Daisy cook breakfast; gradually returning to his old routine.  He looked up as Luke entered the room.  His nephew still looked half-asleep and was yawning widely as he sat down at the table. Luke had apparently decided to wait until he had finished his chores to clean up for the day.  He was dressed in old work clothes, his hair looked more unruly than usual and he had not shaved yet. 

 

“Good morning, Luke.  Looks like it’ll be a nice day today; don’t it?” Jesse said as he took a pan of homemade biscuits from the oven.

 

G’mornin’,” Luke mumbled. 

 

“Well, you’re a real ray of sunshine!  I almost thought you were Bo…” Daisy said, in a bright, wide-awake voice, as she sat a plate filled with eggs and bacon in front of her cousin. Luke raised an eyebrow and just glared at Daisy.

 

Jesse saw this and laughed. His youngest nephew had always hated waking up early; no matter how much or how little sleep he had the night before.  Luke, however, was usually a morning person like Daisy; but lack of sleep tended to make him cranky in the morning like Bo.  Speakin’ of Bo, where is he?” Jesse said.

 

“I let him sleep in.  He still looked pretty tired.” Luke replied.

 

Jesse nodded and said, “He needs the rest.  He had a real rough night.  If he’s not up in a few hours, I’ll go check on him.” 

 

Jesse said Grace before he sat down at the table.  The three Dukes then ate their breakfast and went about the routine morning chores.

 

 

          Bo awoke to the sound of Luke rummaging through the dresser.  He noticed that the sun was higher than usual when he woke up and he looked at the clock:  8:30 am.  He sat up in bed and looked around, bleary-eyed, at his cousin.  “Luke, how come you didn’t wake me up?  We’re gonna be late gettin’ the chores done.”  Bo scratched his beard-stubbled jaw and then ran both hands through his hair; making it stand on end.  He looked down at himself and realized he hadn’t undressed or even taken his boots off last night!  ‘Oh, well,’ he thought as he stretched.

 

Luke turned from the dresser with a clean shirt in his hands and laughed at his wild-looking cousin.  His dark hair was still damp from his recent shower and he smelled of his ‘good’ after-shave.

“Good mornin’ to you, too, Rip Van Winkle!  As for the chores…they’re already done.  I let you sleep in…you looked like you needed it!  Oh, by the way…you get to do all the evening chores by yourself since I did yours and mine this morning,” he said with a toothy smile.

Luke shrugged into his newest shirt and looked in the dresser mirror as he started to comb his hair; a little more carefully than usual.

 

Bo noticed this and grinned…wickedly!  He loved to annoy his older cousin…that was one thing he knew he would never outgrow!  He got out of bed and sauntered over to lean on the dresser, next to Luke. 

“OK…no problem about the chores…but I really need to know something, Lukas. You just look too dang purty and smell too good to be hanging around here all day,” Bo said, as he fluttered his eyelashes, teasing Luke. “Are you goinsomewheres?” he asked his cousin, grinning widely.

 

Luke looked at the floor and blushed…he actually blushed!  Bo was astonished at this and he started poking Luke in the ribs to further annoy him.  “Well, are ya?  Huh? Are ya, Lukas?”

 

“Bo! Stop it, ya idiot!” Luke flinched and moved out of Bo’s reach.

 

He looked sidelong at his cousin and decided to tell his plans; it felt real good to have someone to talk to again, even if that someone was being an annoying brat at the moment!

 

“Well…Uncle Jesse wants me to pick up some feed and the new part for the cultivator…and since the parts-store is in Capital City...and Tri-County Hospital is in Capital City, too…well…I…thought I might stop by and see Meghan…and maybe see if she wanted to go get lunch or something like that.  You know, spend a little time together before our big date, to talk and stuff.”  Luke stammered as he looked at the floor; a slow, soft grin appeared on his face.

 

A cold knot formed in the pit of Bo’s stomach.  He felt wretched, especially when he saw that little grin on Luke’s face.  He knew his older cousin too well; that grin and the fact that he blushed meant Luke must really like Meghan…a lot.

 

“Oh…ri-i-ight…Meghan.  She works in Capital City…at the hospital…yeah…that’s a good plan, Luke.  Hope she’s working today…I’d hate for you to have to go there for nothin’.”  Bo said, tensely, trying his best to sound cheerful and supportive of his cousin. 

 

He had a fake smile plastered on his face and he hoped Luke couldn’t see his internal struggle.  He wanted to scream, curse, break something or even hit Luke…he wanted to do anything except stand there and act like he was happy!  He wished he could be happy for Luke…Luke deserved it…but right now, the disappointment was just too fresh…maybe in time he would be able to think about Luke and Meghan together without wanting to cry or explode…but today would not be that day.

He had to get away before he lost it and went ballistic in front of Luke.  He gave his cousin a friendly slap on the shoulder and quickly headed for the bathroom.

“Well, I’m gonna take a shower.  Have a good trip.  See ya when you get back.” Bo said in a hurried, strained voice.

 

Luke turned and watched as Bo nearly ran out of the room.  He shrugged and passed his cousin’s odd behavior off as a side-effect of the rough night they had all had.  He finished getting ready and, when he thought he passed inspection, left the farmhouse.

 

 

          By the time Bo had finished his shower, Luke was well on his way to Capital City.  The youngest Duke had first thought the day was starting out to be good.  He and Luke were joking and talking, as usual…but, then Meghan’s name was mentioned and his good mood went down the drain.  He chastised himself for getting so worked up over someone he didn’t even know and most likely would never know as anything other than a friend.

 

Bo stood in front of the sink with a towel wrapped around his waist.  He ran his fingers through his wet hair, trying to get it into some semblance of order.  He looked at himself critically as he prepared to shave.  “You sure won’t get Meghan to look twice at you now, Beauregard; you look like death warmed over!  She wouldn’t look at you anyway; not with perfect Lukas running after her!” he said bitterly and slammed the medicine cabinet door shut.   Bo instantly felt bad about his comment. “It’s not like you had any claim on her, you know.  You were too chicken to go see her and now you lost out.  So, get over it, Hot Shot, and get on with your life.  The sooner the better…everything can then get back to normal.” Bo said to his mirrored reflection as he gingerly shaved his bruised face.  ‘Great, I’m talking to myself, now.  This is starting to get pathetic!’ he thought and shook his head.  

 

Bo finished shaving and brushed a towel over his face.  He winced when he touched his left cheek.  He examined his reflection and thought, ‘Man…if this is what Uncle Jesse can do when he’s weak, I’d hate to get him mad when he’s at full strength!’  Bo sighed and quickly turned his thoughts to other matters as he got dressed for the day.

 

 

 

          Bo finally ventured out into the rest of the house.  He had left his shirt untucked and carried his boots and socks with him to put on later.  He half-heartedly hoped no one would be in the kitchen because he didn’t really want to talk to anyone right now.  He was relieved to see that he was alone in the house.  Daisy had saved him some breakfast and he took a cold biscuit from the plate and ate it slowly as he poured himself some coffee.  He drank the coffee as he looked out the window at a peaceful scene that he never tired of:  his home and the people he loved.  His Uncle Jesse sat in front of the barn, sharpening the edge of a hoe; Daisy was walking from the chicken coop with a basket of freshly collected eggs; and Luke…well, Luke was in Capital City with Meghan!  Bo struggled to control himself…he had almost thrown his coffee cup across the room at the thought of Luke and Meghan!  He had to get a hold of himself or things would get out of hand!

 

 

          Daisy entered the kitchen just as Bo was about to throw his coffee cup.  She knew he didn’t see her and she remained silent as she watched him regain control of himself.  Bo had his hands on the edge of the sink and his head was bowed as if he were praying.  Daisy cautiously approached him and gently placed a hand on her cousin’s shoulder.  He jumped as if he had been shocked.  Bo looked at Daisy, all his emotions vying for control.  She could see the turmoil in his eyes.  He looked so sad and tired.  Daisy had hoped the reconciliation with Jesse would help Bo’s mood; but, if anything, he seemed more upset and depressed than ever!  She stroked her hand through his bright hair to soothe him. 

 

Honey, that extra sleep didn’t seem to help you one bit.  You still look like something the cat drug in and left in the hayloft overnight!” she said jokingly.

 

Bo smiled slightly.  “Gee, thanks!”

 

“Seriously, Bo, are you OK?”

 

“Yeah, Daisy, I will be.” He was pouring himself some more coffee and looked away as he said this.

 

“Come on, ‘Squirt’, sit down and tell me all about it.” She steered her taller cousin toward a chair.

 

At the sound of a long forgotten nickname, Bo laughed and nearly choked on his coffee.  ‘Squirt’?!?  You haven’t called me that since I was ten!  What’s the deal with you and Luke and the old nicknames here lately?” He let Daisy lead him to the chair and he sat down.

 

She smiled and hugged him.  “Well, I just couldn’t resist.  You looked so pitiful…I figured it might make you smile…and sometimes I still think of you as that little ‘squirt’ you used to be before you outgrew me!”

 

Bo smiled widely at the beautiful young woman he considered to be a sister and took her hand.  “It did the job, Daisy Mae!  I’m smilin’.”

 

“It’s good to see you smiling again, Sugar.  Now…tell me what’s going on.  And don’t lie to me and tell me it’s nothing!  I know you better than that.  I thought you and Jesse settled everything last night.”  She looked at Bo with concern.

 

Bo tried to avoid her gaze.  “We did.  Everything’s fine between me and Jesse now. It’s…it’s just something I need to work out for myself.”  He said softly.

 

“You need to talk to someone, Bo.  It’s not like you to keep to yourself and you’ve kept to yourself too much lately.  If you won’t tell me, why don’t you talk to Luke…?”

 

“I can’t talk to Luke about this.” Bo said sharply as he rose from his chair.  He walked over to the door and leaned against the wooden frame.

 

Daisy’s suspicions from the night before came back to her, forcefully. 

“It’s that nurse; isn’t it?  Bo…you like Meghan…don’t you?” She said gently.

 

Bo turned to look at her.  He looked like a deer caught in headlights.  Daisy had figured it out.  Dear God!  What was he going to do?  If Luke found out…

 

“Bo…you do like her!  That’s why you got so upset last night when Luke talked about taking her out!”  She joined her cousin at the door and touched his face, gently, forcing him to look her in the eye.  “Oh, Sugar…why didn’t you say something…”

“What good would it have done?  Luke beat me to the punch.  I was too much of a coward to ask her out and I lost my chance.  End of discussion.”  Bo tried to end the conversation and strode into the living room where he sat on the arm of the couch and began to put his socks and boots on.  He had to get out of the house.  He had to get away from the questions. 

 

Daisy noticed the pained quality to Bo’s voice. 

“How long have you liked her?” she softly asked, though she already knew the answer.

 

 

Bo sighed and shook his head.  There was no way around Daisy!  She would keep after him till he told her all she wanted to know…and part of him was grateful for the chance to at least get some of this off his chest.

 

“Since the first time I heard her voice in that waiting room. Since the moment I looked into those pretty green eyes and she touched my arm. Since she smiled that perfectly cute crooked little smile.  Since…”  Bo’s face softened.  He smiled gently and his dark-blue eyes sparkled as they seemed to be lost in a day-dream.

 

Once he had started, the words came out in a flood.  He told Daisy about all his feelings toward Meghan…his confusion, his fear, and the possibility that he might love her.  Daisy listened, in awe at the depth of feeling her young cousin had for this woman who he barely knew!

 

“Now, Bo!  I don’t want to rain on your parade…but, you’ve fallen in love before…”

 

“Daisy, believe me, I know what you’re thinking.  Leave it to Bo to fall in love with a woman he doesn’t even know!  But…I can’t explain it.  I’m crazy about her.  When I looked into her eyes, I felt something so strong it scared the crap outta me!  I wanted to go to that hospital every day and talk to her…but I was too scared!  Can you believe it?  Me…scared to talk to a woman!  But she’s not like any other woman I’ve met, Daisy.  I know I don’t have anything to offer Meghan.  I don’t have a good job, I’m always broke, I don’t have a lot of book-smarts, and I know I can act like a danged fool sometimes…but I do know that if I ever got the chance, I would love her till my dying breath!  She’s the one Daisy…don’t ask me how I know…but I know!  She’s the one…and now I’ve lost her to the best man she could possibly have…Luke.”  Bo had been pacing as he gave his impassioned speech.  As he ended, he sat down on the couch and sighed, sadly.

 

 

          Daisy didn’t know what to say.  It was obvious that Bo felt things for Meghan that he had never felt before.  This was definitely more than one of his usual romances.  He had fallen and fallen hard for a woman he now thought he couldn’t have.  She sat down by her cousin and rubbed his back to comfort him.  He leaned his head over on her shoulder; feeling a little bit better now that he had shared his burden.  Bo had always shared things with Luke, but he felt he could open up more and show his true feelings around Daisy.  She had always seemed to understand him and didn’t tease him too much for showing his emotions.

 

“Go on.  Say it.  I’m pathetic!”

 

“Bo, honey, you are not pathetic!  A little crazy sometimes, yes, but not pathetic!” she joked to lighten the mood.

 

The two cousins sat in silence for a few minutes.  Daisy could feel the conflicted emotions radiating from Bo and she was disturbed by them.  She again had the feeling that something bad was going to happen between Bo and Luke and she now knew if it did it would be over Meghan.

 

“Bo, you really need to tell Luke.  You can’t keep something like this from him.  He needs to know.”

 

“NO!” Bo said, vehemently.  “No.  I almost messed things up between me and Luke over a girl once before.  I won’t do it again.  If he knew it would just make him mad.  Besides, I didn’t have any claim on Meghan.  He was perfectly free to ask her out…so there’s no need of bothering him with this.  Let him be happy.  I don’t want to hurt him because of my own problems.  I’ll just have to accept it and try to forget about her.”

 

“Bo…”

 

“Please, Daisy.  Don’t tell Luke what I just told you.  And I’d appreciate it if we didn’t talk about it anymore…OK?”

 

“What about Jesse?  He’ll want to know what’s going on with you.”

 

“If he asks, you can tell Jesse enough to satisfy him…but, only Jesse and be sure he knows to keep it from Luke!  I’ll be the one to tell Luke if and when I’m ready” Bo said in a serious tone as he looked at Daisy.  “I mean it, Daisy.”

 

She nodded.

 

Bo decided it was time to lighten the mood.  It seemed to get too serious too quick around the farm lately.  He looked sideways at Daisy and grinned. 

“You just wait and see…by the time I get ready to tell Luke my problems, I’ll have forgotten all about Nurse What’s Her Name and have my mind on three other girls.”  He nudged his cousin and said, “Ain’t that right…” he paused dramatically “… ‘Toothpick’?”

 

Daisy gasped in surprise.  “Bo Duke!  Don’t you dare call me that stupid name!  She hit him with a pillow off the couch.

 

“Hey, you started it with that ‘Squirt’ business!”  He threw the pillow back at her as he jumped up and ran from the living room toward the screen door, yelling the hated nickname at the top of his lungs.

 

Daisy, welcoming the change in mood, shrieked in mock anger and gave chase. 

 

Jesse looked up from his work at the explosion of noise from the kitchen door.  His youngest nephew burst into the yard.  Bo was laughing and being chased by Daisy who was threatening to douse him with a pan of dishwater.  General chaos ensued as the laughing, shouting young people stirred up the yard full of clucking chickens.  Even the mule in the barn started braying in response to all the noise.

 

Jesse laughed out loud.  To him the joyful noises of his family were like music to his ears!  It had really been too quiet around the farm for the past few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8

Two months later, mid-July…

 

          The summer had been going pretty well for the Dukes.  Jesse was almost fully recovered and taking over most of his old chores.  Bo seemed to be getting back to his usual self except when a certain young lady was mentioned. Daisy tried her best to keep the relationship between her cousins from becoming damaged by running interference when Luke questioned Bo’s strange behavior too much.  The boys had, for the most part, returned to their old routine.  They worked on the farm together and hung out together, as usual. They were even being chased by the law more now that Jesse had recovered.  Things were starting to get back to normal in Hazzard.

 

 

 

          To Luke Duke things were better than normal!  The normally reserved Luke was walking on air!  He whistled as he unloaded feed sacks from the bed of the truck.  The hot Georgia sun was shining and the work was almost done for the day.  All was right in his world.  His family was pretty much back to normal…well, normal except for Bo; his youngest cousin was still acting odd.  Bo had started to become quiet again and had been sneaking off by himself lately.  Luke, however, decided to just leave well enough alone.  Bo would come around…eventually; besides, he had better things to occupy his mind with!  The dark-haired Duke had been steadily dating a wonderful girl who he really liked and who seemed to like him just as much!  And Boss and Rosco were hatching their schemes to frame him and Bo, as usual…which provided for endless hours of entertainment!

 

Luke and Meghan’s first date had gone so well that they had decided to start seeing each other on a regular basis.  In fact, it seemed the only times they were not together or talking on the phone was when Meghan was at work or they were sleeping!  Luke was very proud of his girlfriend and encouraged her work.  He didn’t mind dating a woman who made more money or had more education than him; but he was still old fashioned about most of the relationship! Luke liked Meghan so much that he actually considered telling her that he loved her…at least he thought he loved her.  He didn’t know for sure if it was actually love that he felt but he knew he felt stronger about her than any other woman he had ever dated.

 

 

          Luke finished unloading the truck and wiped his hands on his jeans before slamming the tail-gate shut.  He was happy and looking forward to dinner.  He had finally decided to bring Meghan to the farm tonight.  He was actually a bit surprised that Daisy, Jesse, and Bo hadn’t been pestering him to meet her long before now.  In fact, now that he thought about it, Bo really hadn’t asked much about Meghan at all.  Usually, the talkative blond would tease him and want to know everything about any girl Luke dated…even down to her favorite color and how she kissed!  He noticed that Bo always listened intently whenever he talked about Meghan but never asked any questions.  Luke had also noticed that Bo always seemed to find something to do in another room or outside whenever Meghan was on the phone…actually, Bo rarely even answered the phone anymore, saying “Luke, it’s probably for you” and handing the receiver over.  The more he thought about it, the more Luke realized how uncharacteristically Bo was acting.  How have I kept from noticing before now?  Wonder what’s eatin’ him?  Maybe he thinks I’m neglecting him since I’m spending so much time with Meghan now.  I’ll try to make it up to him by doing more things with him.  Maybe he’ll want to come with me and Meghan to do some stuff…double date or something.

 

Luke felt some better after he had determined a possible cause for Bo’s strange behavior.   He smiled as he heard the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen.  Daisy and Jesse were fussing over the house and the cooking…even though he knew Meghan wouldn’t care. Daisy seemed to be so excited to meet Meghan that she had swapped shifts with another waitress at the Boar’s Nest just so she would be able to stay home tonight!  He didn’t know where Bo was…something that was unusual and becoming disturbingly more frequent…but he hoped his cousin wouldn’t be late for dinner.  Luke had started to go into the house to get ready to go get Meghan when Cooter Davenport’s tow truck rattled into the yard…towing the General behind. 

 

 

          Luke hollered a greeting to his friend and walked over to see what the problem was.  The General didn’t look like he’d been wrecked.

 

“Hey, Coot.  What’s wrong with the General?” Luke questioned as he began to unhook the orange stock-car.

 

“Well, Buddyro…the General Lee is as right as rain.  At least he is now.  He could’ve ended up wrapped around a tree if I hadn’t got to him in time.”  Cooter looked serious and a bit concerned as he walked around to the passenger side of the truck.

 

“Huh? What’s the problem, then?” Luke asked, a frown creasing his face.

 

“This.” Cooter said simply as he opened the passenger side door of the old tow-truck.

 

Inside was Bo Duke; sprawled across the seat, passed out and dead to the world!

 

“What the…?” Luke said in shock. “What happened?  Is he hurt?” Luke struggled to get his limber-limbed cousin out of the truck and onto the ground.

 

 “He’s alright Luke…just stinkin’ drunk is all.  He could’ve been a lot worse.  I drove up to the Boar’s Nest just as ol’ Bo here was staggering out to get into the General.  Luckily, I talked him into lettin’ me drive him home…otherwise he would’ve been behind the wheel when he passed out about ten minutes ago.”

Luke was open-mouthed with shock.  His cousin had never liked getting drunk.  In fact, he could count the times Bo had been this drunk on one hand and have fingers left over.  Luke leaned over the young man on the ground and got a strong whiff of alcohol.

 

“Whew!  You were right when you said he was stinkin drunk!  That’s not beer either.  He’s been drinking whiskey…and the cheap, nasty kind at that!  What’s goin’ on Cooter?  Bo never drinks that stuff!  He usually only has three or four beers at the most!  Besides, it’s only 4:00…way too early for him to even be thinking about getting wasted.” Luke was frustrated and looked to his old friend for some answers.

 

“I don’t know Luke.  I just don’t know.  Gary, that new bartender at the Boar’s Nest, said Bo’s been in a lot lately.  Sometimes he drinks, sometimes he doesn’t…but either way, Gary said he just sits at the bar by himself and doesn’t talk to anyone.  Today he said Bo came in around noon and seemed determined to get good and sloshed before he left.  Something’s going on, Lukas…Bo’s just not the same ol’ boy he used to be!  I for one wish he’d get over this problem…I miss him.”  Cooter let out a deep breath and looked sadly at his young friend.

 

“Me too, Cooter.  Come on and help me get him into the barn.  I need to try to sober him up some before Jesse sees him.  Hey, do you want to have dinner over here tonight?  We’ll have plenty and it’ll give you a chance to meet my girlfriend.”

 

“Oh, the girlfriend who you talk about all the time.  Let’s see…what is her name?  …Maggie or Margaret or Meghan or something like that?” Cooter teased.

 

“Yeah, OK, maybe I do talk about her a little bit.” Luke grinned, sheepishly.

 

Cooter rolled his eyes.  He and Luke picked Bo up and easily carried him into the barn. Luke went to fill a bucket with cold water from the pump next to the battered, old water trough.

 

“I guess I can come for dinner.  I need to go do a quick tow job and clean up a little first, though.  Wouldn’t want to scare your girl away!”  Cooter pushed his greasy cap up and scratched his head.  He leaned against the doorway of the old barn and eyed the bucket Luke was filling. “Uh, whatcha fixin’ to do, Luke?”

 

“You’ll see.”  Luke finished filling the bucket and walked over to the empty stall where his cousin lay, softly snoring.

 

Ya know, Cooter…I can’t say I won’t enjoy this!  Bo sure won’t…but then he shouldn’t have been out acting like an idiot.”  He swirled the bucket and took aim.  He glanced at Cooter as if daring his friend to stop him.

 

Cooter made a face and readjusted his cap.  “I don’t blame ya, Luke.  But, dang, that’s gonna be one heck of a wake up call!” he said, cringing slightly.

 

Luke quirked a slightly wicked grin and proceeded to dump the entire contents of the water bucket on his inebriated cousin’s head.

 

 

 

          Bo was having the strangest dream about him and Luke being chased by Roscoe, who was riding a green tricycle and somehow keeping up with them better than usual…, when all of a sudden …“SPLASH”! 

He gasped and sputtered.  He was drowning!  He flailed about on the floor of the stall until he got his eyes opened completely and could see where he was.  He saw that he was in the barn and he had no idea how he got there.  He dimly registered that there was a great deal of laughter going on somewhere near him; but he couldn’t see what the hell was so funny at the moment.  His head was about to fall off his shoulders, so he held it on with one hand while he used the other to prop himself up into a sitting position. Bo noticed, through his swirling vision, that it was his cousin and Cooter who were laughing hysterically, especially Luke.  It figures!  Luke had all the fun lately.  Bo felt terrible.  His stomach began to roll like one of the rides at the county fair and he knew he was going to be sick.  He managed to grab hold of the wall and pulled himself to his wobbly feet; still holding his head with one hand!  He staggered a few steps to the nearest garbage barrel, leaned over it, and threw up his toes…again….and again!

 

Cooter quickly decided it was time for him to go do that tow job.  “I’ll leave Bo in your capable hands and I’ll see ya’ll later for dinner.”

 

“Bye, Cooter.  Thanks for bringing him home.  Now I just have to sober his butt up before tonight.  I’d hate for Meghan to see him like this.  It’s bad enough for Jesse and Daisy to see him drunk…” Luke stopped talking and shook his head.  He was disgusted and more than a trifle irritated at his younger cousin.

 

“Well, don’t be too hard on him.  There’s got to be some reason behind this, ya know.  Bo never has made a habit of getting wasted like that.  I’ll see ya’ll later.”  Cooter started up his truck and backed out of the driveway.

 

 

Luke went to check on Bo.  His blond cousin was leaning over the garbage barrel and was pale-faced and sweaty.  His deep-blue eyes were slightly unfocused and glassy and he smelled like cheap whiskey and smoke.  Luke bit back several angry comments and instead decided to help his cousin.   Bo had managed to remove his yellow shirt that had become quite dirty and he stood there; dizzy and leaning against the barn wall.  Luke yanked the shirt from his cousin’s hand and walked outside without saying a word.  He wet a portion of the garment at the pump and returned to the barn where he wiped his younger cousin’s face with it.  Bo gratefully accepted his cousin’s help.  He tried to walk but he kept stumbling over his own feet.  Luke helped him, although none too gently, walk outside to the water trough. Bo leaned over the body of water and dunked himself, with help and much enthusiasm from Luke, several times.  Vomiting up the alcohol and the repeated dousings had helped Bo to sober up some.  Luke could tell that Bo was becoming more coherent and he turned to go into the house before he said something he might regret later.

 

 

 Bo knew Luke was angry with him and he couldn’t blame him.  Bo hated whiskey and he hated being drunk.  He felt ashamed of what he had done…but, at the time, he hadn’t seen any other way to deaden his pain. The very thought of having to sit calmly at the dinner table while the love of his life sat next to his cousin tonight was killing him.

 

“Luke, wait.”  Bo said hoarsely.

 

“What.” Luke replied in a strained voice; his rising anger barely suppressed.

 

“Thanks for helpin’ me.  I know you woulda rather beat my head in instead…like I deserve.”

 

Luke couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He quickly walked right up to Bo and grabbed the young man’s wet T-shirt with both hands.  Luke got close to Bo’s face and spoke menacingly.

“Damn right you deserve a beatin’!  What were you thinking, Bo Duke?  Wait…what am I saying…I forgot who I’m talkin’ to.  You have to have a brain to think…and it’s obvious you don’t have one because you weren’t thinking at all!  Otherwise you wouldn’t have been out drinkin’ that kerosene Boss passes off for whiskey in the middle of the afternoon!  Of all the hare-brained…Bo you could’ve killed yourself or somebody else if you had driven that car!”  Luke’s voice had risen in volume and he shook Bo hard; water slinging from the younger man’s dripping hair.   Bo winced as his head pounded in protest to the sudden movement.

 

“I thought you might get a little more sense as you got older…but I can see that ain’t gonna happen.   Bo…you are the biggest idiot in Hazzard and today’s little stunt only proves my point!  Now…I’m gonna go clean up so I can pick up Meghan.  When we get back, I either want to see you cleaned-up, sober, and on your best behavior or I don’t want to see you at all.  Do you hear me, Bo!  You are not gonna embarrass me or the rest of this family in front of my girlfriend.”

 Luke released his cousin’s shirt and glared at Bo; his piercing-blue gaze had turned icy.

 

Bo simply nodded and slowly sat down under the tree next to the trough.  He watched his older cousin stalk off toward the house; anger apparent in Luke’s every movement.  Luke’s harsh words had penetrated Bo’s alcohol induced haze.  The comments had hurt Bo, deeply; but the young man felt he had deserved Luke’s anger.  He had been an idiot.  Bo knew he had messed up royally…now how in the world was he going to keep things from getting worse?

 

 

Luke soon emerged from the house and the General’s back tires were slinging gravel across the yard as he left the farm headed toward Meghan’s apartment in Capital City.  He had not spoken to Jesse or Daisy about Bo.  They had asked about what had happened outside, but he told Jesse to ask “that fool outside”.  As he drove, Luke’s anger gradually lessened and worry took its place.  The thought of his cousin nearly driving while drunk had scared him so badly that he just wanted to wring Bo’s neck!  What was wrong with his “little brother”?  Cooter was right.  Something was definitely up with Bo.  The only other times Bo had ever gotten drunk were when something was really bothering him…something he didn’t think he could talk about.  ‘What was so bad that he couldn’t tell me?’ he thought.  Luke actually felt a little bit hurt.  He thought he and Bo had gotten back to a point where they could confide in each other again…but apparently Bo had a problem that he couldn’t trust him with.  He continued on his way, deeply lost in thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

At exactly 5:25, Luke pulled into the driveway of Cherokee Hills Apartments.  He guided the General into a tight parking space in front of the building Meghan lived in and shut off the engine.  The dark-haired man sat in the car for a few minutes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.  He had decided to tell Meghan, tonight, exactly how much he cared for her and he was scared that he would either say something wrong or cause her to run.  Luke quirked a slight grin, slapped his hands on the steering wheel and said, “Here goes nothing.”  He climbed out of the car and noticed that he was being watched.  Meghan had come out onto her patio when she heard the distinctive sound of the General’s engine and she had been watching Luke’s hesitant exit from the car with some amusement.  Luke looked up to see his girlfriend leaning over the railing of her second-floor apartment’s patio.  He waved and flashed a wide smile before he sauntered across the walkway leading to the stairs.

 

 

Meghan returned the smile and wave and waited for him.  She watched as he walked down the path and shook her head in amazement.  He looked so good in the white T-shirt and black jeans he was wearing!  Every time she saw him she still couldn’t believe that this gorgeous, sweet man was interested in her!  He was such a gentleman; never pushing her farther than she was ready to go.   That was good, because she still didn’t really know deep into this relationship she wanted to get.  Meghan stopped her train of thought abruptly.  She heard Luke approaching the top of the stairs and she smoothed the blue and white sundress she was wearing, hoping she looked presentable. 

 

“Hey, Sweetheart.  You look great.” Luke said as he reached to hug his girlfriend.

 

“Hey, yourself, Good-Lookin’.  I though you were going to stay in that car all evening!” Meghan said jokingly.  She walked into his embrace and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

 

Luke pouted, “Is that all I get?”

Before Meghan could reply, he pulled her close and bent his head to hers for what he determined to be a proper kiss.

 

When the kiss broke, Meghan smiled and giggled.  “I could get used to those, you know!” she said, looking up into Luke’s sparkling blue eyes.

 

“I hope so,” Luke said as he wiggled his eyebrows and smoothed her soft, brown hair.  He liked it when she wore her hair down, as she had it now.  “You ready to go meet my family?  It shouldn’t be too bad since you’ve seen them all before already.  Uncle Jesse and Daisy are really lookin’ forward to seeing you again.  Bo too, I guess…he’s been acting sorta odd lately, so don’t be offended if he doesn’t act too friendly.”

 

Meghan smiled and listened to Luke’s explanation.  “Of course I’m ready.  I’ve been wanting to see them all again for so long.  I hope they like me as your girlfriend and not just as a nurse!” She didn’t let on that she was actually scared to death!

 

Luke smiled and held out his arm to Meghan.  She wrapped her arm around his elbow.  “They’ll love you.  Don’t fret”, he said and winked as he escorted her down the stairs.

 

 When they reached the General, Meghan noticed a problem.  Her short stature combined with the dress she was wearing made it almost impossible to climb into the car window with any semblance of grace.

 

She looked at Luke, batted her eyelashes and pretended to wave an imaginary fan. “Well, kind Sir, I find myself in need of some assistance”, she drawled in her best imitation of a Southern Belle.

 Luke took her hand, kissed it and bowed, gallantly, before her.  “At your service, Ma’am,” he said in return.  The dark-haired man lifted Meghan as if she weighed no more than a feather and helped her into the car.  He noted to himself that he would like to see her wearing dresses more often if it meant getting to help her in and out of the car. Luke climbed into his window and started the car. 

 

Meghan said, “Thank ya so much.  I do declare that you are the very heart of chivalry, Mr. Duke,” continuing with her Southern Belle routine.

 

 Luke looked at her with smiling eyes.  He tilted her chin up with one finger and briefly kissed her lips before replying, “Always happy to oblige, Miss Meghan.  Now let’s roll.”  Luke put the orange muscle car in gear and spun tires as they left the parking lot.  He didn’t have to worry about scaring Meghan with his fast driving; he had already found out that she liked fast cars and was a little bit of a wild driver herself!  The sound of Meghan’s laughter filled the air as they headed toward the Duke farm.

 

 

 

          Meghan and Luke rode in comfortable ease; occasionally talking about random things or singing along to the radio.  Luke had a wonderful singing voice and she loved adding harmony along with him, but mostly she just liked listening to him sing alone.  The closer they got to Hazzard, however, the more nervous Meghan became.  Luke had often talked about his family and she felt she knew them all very well, already, and she wanted to make a good impression.  Yes, she was anxious to see how the Duke family thought of her now that she was dating Luke; but the primary reason for her nervousness was Bo Duke.  Try as she may, she had not been able to get the tall blond out of her head!  She was ashamed to admit that she had been thinking and dreaming about him ever since they met at the hospital, April.  Even though he was sick with his asthma and upset about his uncle, she had felt a very strong attraction to him; not just physical, but something deeper.  She couldn’t explain it.  Those brief feelings she felt when barely touching Bo or when she looked into his wonderfully expressive blue eyes were, she hated to say, deeper than anything she had felt with Luke. She even longed for Luke to talk about his cousin.  Sometimes she purposefully turned the conversation so Luke would have to mention things about Bo.  Meghan longed to get to know this person that Luke seemed to care so much about; the carefree, lovable, impulsive young man that he considered to be his younger brother.

‘This is crazy!  He has absolutely no interest in you and you don’t even know him!  Get him out your head, Meggie.  He probably has so many girls hanging off him that he wouldn’t even give you the time of day!  Besides…you are dating Luke.  He is the one who is paying attention to you.  He’s the one who cares about you and wants to be with you, not Bo.’ she chastised herself.

 

Luke noticed Meghan’s prolonged silence.  “You OK, hon?”

 

Meghan turned to look at Luke and smiled.  She scooted closer to him on the seat and he put his arm around her. “I’m just fine, now.” she said with a soft, happy sigh. Luke chuckled and dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head.

 

“Seriously, Meghan…are you OK?  You seemed to zone out for a while.” Luke said with concern.

 

“I’m fine, Luke.  I’m just a little tired.  Those double shifts I worked at the beginning of the week are starting to catch up with me…that’s all.”  It wasn’t a total lie; she was tired from working extra at the hospital due to short staff.  She snuggled into Luke’s side and vowed that no matter what it took, she would get Bo Duke out of her head.  She cared about Luke more and more every day.  The petite brunette knew that it would hurt Luke if he ever found out that she had feelings, however irrational, for his cousin and she did not want to hurt Luke in any way.  This man sitting next to her was too special to lose.  He deserved her undivided attention and damned if she wasn’t going to try to provide him with that!

 

         

          Luke tightened his arm around the woman beside him.  She grew more beautiful every time he saw her.  The simple sundress she wore accented her figure perfectly without being revealing.  She wasn’t the kind of girl to dress in revealing clothes anyway and he was glad.  He didn’t want guys to look at her like they looked at Daisy when she had to wear those skimpy outfits at work.  He grinned, thinking that his feisty little Meghan could probably take care of herself in such situations, just like Daisy; but he didn’t want her to have to.  He wanted to take care of her.  He thought to himself, “It’s now or never…”

 

“Meghan…I want to tell you something.”

 

“What’s on your mind?” She sat up straighter and looked at Luke.

 

Luke kept his eyes on the road and took a deep breath. 

“Meghan…I’m not really good at lettin’ my feelings show and I’m even worse at talkin’ about them.  I really like you.  I enjoy being with you more than I have any other woman I’ve known.  I usually don’t open myself up to anybody.  I don’t get attached to people very easily...but I could get attached to you real quick, Meghan!  I guess what I’m tryin’ to say is that…I think…I think I’m falling in love with you.”  Luke finished in a rush.  He looked scared and surprised that he had actually said what he had. “Uh…we can take things slow…not rush things, you know.  I’m still getting used to the idea of a steady relationship!  But if it’s OK with you, I’d like us to get more serious…taking it slow, of course.”  Luke said in a soft, hopeful voice.

 

Upon hearing Luke’s words, Meghan’s heart had melted.  Just last night, she had dreamed of hearing those words.  But instead of Luke, her dream had conjured up Bo and she heard his gentle voice say them and she had been looking into dark-blue eyes; not the clear, crystal-blue eyes she was looking into now.  She pushed the thoughts of Bo from her mind.  Luke had just told her he loved her…in a round about way!  She cared about Luke so much and realized that she loved him, too.  She ran a hand through Luke’s dark, wavy hair.  He turned away from the road briefly, and caught her soft-green gaze with his own.  She smiled widely at him, her dimples deepening.  “It’s perfectly fine with me, Luke.  Slow is good…I’m still getting used to the idea of a steady relationship, myself…and…I think love you, too.  You’re something special, Luke Duke.” she said as she leaned over to kiss his lips.

 

Luke grinned like a fool.  He pulled her closer with one arm as he drove with the other.  “And you, Meghan Riley, are too cute for words.” he said as he returned the kiss.

 

Luke turned off the main road and pointed the General down the gravel road leading to the Duke property.

 

“We’re almost there.” Luke said with excitement shining in his eyes.

 

Moments later, the General Lee pulled into the yard of the Duke farm and came to a stop in front of the old white house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10

 

          Bo had spent the last hour trying to sober up and explain his drunken state to an irate Jesse and a worried Daisy.  His uncle and cousin were obviously disappointed in him and he apologized profusely.  He could also tell that they were very concerned about him…which only made him feel worse!  Daisy had forced a couple of cups of coffee down him and then ushered him off to the shower; complaining that he smelled like one of the dumpsters at the Boar’s Nest.  Bo sniffed at his blue T-shirt and agreed with her.  He took a long, hot shower and began to get ready for the night’s company.

 

 

          The shower had helped some, but Bo still felt awful.  He had a raging headache!  The young man had barely managed to pull on a clean pair of blue-jeans and was gingerly toweling his wet hair when a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

 

“Come in,” Bo said as he grabbed a red T-shirt from the dresser and pulled it over his head.

 

Jesse came into the room.  He looked around, realizing he had not really been in the boys’ room many times since they had grown-up.  He walked up to his nephew, who was tucking his T-shirt into his jeans.

 

“Bo, son…you want to talk about what’s been botherin’ you?” he said as he laid a hand on the young man’s damp, wavy hair.

 

Bo didn’t look at his uncle.  “No…I …I’ll be fine, Uncle Jesse. I’ve just been acting like a danged fool…as usual.”  Bo sat down on the end of his bed and looked up at his uncle with a small, sad, lop-sided smile.  His big dark-blue eyes were full of remorse and shame from his earlier behavior… and something else Jesse couldn’t quite identify.

 

Jesse smiled at Bo.  “Be strong, boy,” he said as he sat down next to his nephew.  He grabbed Bo’s knee and gave it a squeeze, right in a spot where he knew Bo was ticklish.  Bo jumped and grinned a little.

 

“I know you think you love this girl…but you really don’t even know her.” Jesse said, quietly.

 

Bo started to protest, but Jesse held up a hand to stop him.

“Listen to me, son.  Your cousin really seems to be struck on this girl and she must care for him or she wouldn’t be comin’ out here tonight to see all of us.  You need to decide what’s more important to you…pining over this girl and possibly wrecking your friendship with Luke or getting’ over her and movin’ on and keeping your best friend.  Luke misses you, Bo.  He knows you’re keeping something from him and it hurts him that you don’t trust him enough to tell him.” Jesse allowed Bo some time to soak in his words.

 

Bo hung his head and looked at the floor.  He started to speak in a voice so soft Jesse could barely hear him at first.

“I know, Uncle Jesse.  I don’t want to mess things up any more than I already have.  I don’t want to hurt Luke…and if he really loves Meghan and she loves him, then I’m happy for them.  I want to tell him, but you know Luke…he wouldn’t exactly be happy to hear that I’m in love with his girlfriend!  He’d probably kick my teeth in…especially after today.”

Bo sighed and looked at his uncle.  “I’ll try my best.  I’ll move on…but I can’t promise that I’ll forget her.”

 

 

Jesse patted Bo’s back.  “Your best is all you can do, Bo.  I can’t expect you to do anything more.  If you truly love Meghan, you’ll never forget her…but I hope for your sake and for Luke’s that you can find someone else that you are free to love and will love you.” 

 

Bo snorted and gave his uncle a disbelieving look.

 

“She’s out there, Bo…you just be patient…and if by some chance Meghan is the ‘one’ for you…it’ll happen in it’s own time…most likely when you least expect it.  We just have to trust that a higher power is in charge and things will work out better for all of us if we remember that.”

 

“Uncle Jesse, you sure know how to put things into perspective,” Bo said as he reached over to hug his uncle.

 

Jesse grinned. “Well…I do have the benefit of age and experience.”  He laid a weathered hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “I just pray that you and Luke won’t let this come between you.  You kids are so close…when I’m gone all you’ll have is each other and I don’t want to see anything damage that closeness.”  Jesse’s voice grew thick with emotion and he cleared his throat.  The old man put his hands on the knees of his faded overalls and pushed himself to his feet.  “Well, enough of this mush.  I need to make sure dinner is ready and you need to finish getting dressed.  Luke and Meghan should be here soon.”  He took in Bo’s indifferent expression.  “Things will work out, Bo…you’ll see,” he said.

 

Bo looked at his uncle and smiled. 

“Thanks, Uncle Jesse.  Now…I just hope I can make it through dinner without A) throwing up again, B) making a fool of myself, C) Luke finding some reason to kill me, or D) all of the above.”  Bo ticked each of his options off on his fingers as he spoke.  He stood up slowly, holding his head as he did so.  “I know one thing…I hate that whiskey Boss sells.  It gives me a headache.” Bo rubbed the back of his neck and looked sideways at Jesse.

 

Jesse laughed.  “Any of it will give you a headache if you drink too much of it!  Your best bet is to stay away from it,” he said as he left the bedroom.

 

Bo grabbed his belt from the bed and began to thread it through the loops of his jeans.  He was surprised by his uncle’s sudden reappearance.  Jesse stuck his head around the doorframe. “Boy…I don’t care how old you are now…if I ever…ever hear of you gettin’ drunk and tryin’ to drive again…I’ll whip the hide off you.”  Jesse raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at his nephew, “I mean it young’un.”

 

Yessir.” Bo replied and nodded solemnly.  He grinned as his uncle winked and shut the door. 

 

 

 

The blond-haired Duke finished getting ready as quickly as his protesting head would let him and he joined his uncle and Daisy in the living room just as Luke and Meghan pulled into the drive, soon followed by Cooter’s truck. Bo saw how happy his cousin and Meghan looked together as they walked onto the porch.  His heart sank, but he was also glad that they had found each other; he couldn’t think of anyone better for either one of them. Bo could see that Luke truly loved Meghan; his older cousin had a soft, gentle look on his face he had never seen before.  Bo then looked at the object of his affection. He felt a powerful surge of emotions…his adorable little angel looked so beautiful!  The dress she wore suited her perfectly.  Her golden skin looked so soft.  Her rich brown hair hung loose around her shoulders.  She wore just enough make-up to accent her features, not cover them up as some women did.  Her soft, green eyes were as beautiful as he remembered.  Her full-lipped mouth, that dimpled smile, that voice…all as captivating as the first time he saw her.  Even her feet in the delicate sandals she wore looked lovely! He was fascinated by the red nail-polish on her toenails…that simple thing just drove him wild! Bo realized this night was going to be harder on him than he had at first thought.  At least maybe with Cooter and Daisy being there, he could keep his mind from wandering where it didn’t belong.  He had to believe Jesse’s words: There would be someone for him and him alone.  He just had to be patient.  He vowed he would get through this night and he would get over Meghan Riley.  He had to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

          After dinner, the four Dukes went their separate ways.  Jesse had decided to go to bed early and Daisy was in the kitchen washing the dinner dishes.  She smiled as she remembered the evening’s events.  She thought dinner had turned out pretty well.  She had been worried about how Bo would react, especially after his drunken arrival at the farm earlier; but, her younger cousin had behaved admirably.  She was proud of him; she knew how hard it must have been for him. She honestly didn’t know her excitable, at times over-emotional ‘baby brother’ could be that strong.  It was obvious to her that Bo still felt very strongly about Meghan; but he managed to hold back enough to keep Luke from catching on.  Daisy grinned as she remembered that she had to poke Bo in the side a few times to keep him from staring too long at the pretty, petite brunette. He somehow managed to act like he had never even been passed-out drunk just a few hours ago!  He smiled, laughed, and talked like nothing had ever bothered him.  She shook her head.  Maybe Bo had a career in acting waiting for him!  Daisy’s thoughts moved to her older cousin.  Luke was definitely head over heels about this girl.  She had never seen him this much in love.  Meghan seemed to care for Luke just as much…and she was such a nice, likable girl.  She would fit it with the rest of the family so well; but something about her bothered Daisy.  Daisy thought she had noticed Meghan looking at Bo with the same look of longing that Bo had for her.  Could it be possible that Meghan had feelings for Bo as well?  Could she be in love with both him and Luke?  Daisy felt a chill run up her spine.  She couldn’t really blame the girl if she was…either of her cousins would be ideal catches…but she prayed that was not the case. 

 

 

          After dinner, Bo had gone out into the yard with Cooter to look at a problem with Jesse’s truck.  Luke had left to take Meghan home and would probably been gone for a while.  Cooter quickly determined the problem and said that he would order the needed parts the next day.  The mechanic studied his young friend for a few minutes as he wiped his hands.

 

“Hey, buddy…what’s on your mind?  You ain’t been acting like yourself lately,” Cooter asked.

 

“Aw, nothing much…just some personal stuff.  I think I’m about over it now…or will be pretty soon.” Bo said; hands shoved into his pockets, not looking at his friend.

 

Cooter adjusted his cap and studied Bo. The young man nervously kicked at a clump of grass in the barnyard and looked like he did not want to talk.  He had watched Bo grow up and considered him, as well as Luke, as a brother.  Therefore, Bo’s strange behavior lately had bothered him just as much as it had the Dukes. “You know you can talk to me if you need to, Bo.  I just don’t want to make a habit of draggin’ your drunk butt home; and I sure don’t want to get a call to pull the General out of a ditch or off a tree because you decided to drive when you shouldn’t.”  Cooter looked out from under his cap brim with serious eyes.

 

“Thanks a lot for bringing me home, Cooter.  I don’t know what I was thinkin’.  I guess Luke was right…I wasn’t thinking at all.” Bo said with a grim chuckle.  “I just had some things going on that I didn’t know how I was going to deal with…so I guess I thought I could deal with them better if I was drunk and didn’t know what was happening.  But, don’t worry…I talked to Jesse and he sorta put things straight for me.  I’ll be all right.”  Bo stuck out his hand to his friend.  Cooter grasped it and pulled the younger man into a quick, brotherly hug.  Bo grinned and slapped Cooter on the back as they parted.

 

“I sure hope so, Buddyro.  Jesse’s always been able to straighten you and Luke out.  I’m ready to see you kickin’ it up again!  It’s been getting kinda dull around town without you chasin’ women and causing trouble!” Cooter joked and aimed a mock-punch at Bo’s shoulder before he turned to climb into his tow truck.

 

“Thanks again, Coot.  Let us know when those parts come in.”  Bo waved good-bye to his friend and walked to the porch of the old farmhouse.

 

 

 

          He didn’t know how he did it, but Bo had managed to keep his true feelings hidden and not make a total fool of himself.  He shook his head and laughed as he sat down on the glider.  When he had shaken Meghan’s hand tonight he had to forcibly stop himself from taking her in his arms and kissing her, holding her delicate frame to his and making her forget that Luke Duke even existed!  Every little movement she made caught his attention.  He knew he would have bruises on his side from Daisy poking him, but he just couldn’t help staring!  Bo remembered nearly every word his sweet little Meggie had said during dinner.  She had told them that she was from a very small town in Tennessee and that her dream had always been to be a nurse.  She was a country girl… raised near the Tennessee River, she had been the only person in her family to go to college, she had one older brother and her parents still lived in her quiet little home-town. She hated being so short, she loved music, played the piano and she was a “bookworm”.  Bo nearly groaned with longing when she told Jesse she drove a white ’79 Camero, loved fast cars and football (thanks to her older brother), and she really liked to cook on her days off!  The more she spoke, the more Bo knew that he would happily spend his life with this woman if she would have him! 

 

 

Bo swayed slowly in the old glider and softly smiled to himself as he remembered her explanation for how she had ended up in Capital City.  Daisy had asked her why she chose to come there as opposed to someplace bigger or more exciting.  Meghan replied that, in order to help pay for her student loans, she had signed up with an agency that sent nurses where they were needed the most.

She said, “I thought I would get to go someplace exotic or exciting, but I got sent to Tri-County General instead!  It was just as well, though; a country girl like me probably couldn’t handle anything more exotic than north Georgia!  Besides…I wouldn’t have gotten to meet all of ya’ll if I had been sent somewhere else.”  Bo recalled the tender look she had given Luke after saying that and the quick, gentle kiss Luke had given her in return. His heart clenched at the memory.  He felt ashamed when he remembered the jealousy that had surged through him and that he had to restrain himself from reaching across the table to push Luke away from her!

 

 

 Bo also recalled the flame he had felt run through him whenever he and Meghan caught each other’s eyes or briefly touched.  He had seen something there, in those emerald eyes, that had given him hope; she seemed to have felt something too, he was sure of it!  Bo then thought of Luke’s gentleness toward this woman.  Luke was truly in love with her…and she seemed to return that love.  They don’t need me screwing up something that could be good for both of them. Even if there was as chance that she did feel something for me, I can’t justify hurting Luke like that just to make myself happy,’ Bo thought.   He knew what he would have to do.  The only way he could get Meghan off his mind would be to leave.  He couldn’t stay around, constantly seeing her and listening to her voice; he would eventually mess up and his true feeling would be found out…then all hell would break loose!

‘Now…to keep things under control until I can figure out where I’m going and what I’m going to do once I get there!  Daisy and Jesse might understand…I hope so; but how in the world will I explain it to Luke?’ He thought as he rubbed his still-aching head and stared out across the yard.  The blond-haired Duke sat on the rusty, old glider for several hours; listening to the sounds of the Georgia summer night, lost in his thoughts and dreams of what couldn’t be.

 

 

 

          Meghan and Luke had spent a couple of hours just driving around and sitting out by Hazzard Pond; talking and cuddling.  He had dropped her off at her apartment after a lengthy and very enjoyable good-bye.  Once alone, Meghan began to process the events of the night.  She immediately started getting ready for bed; she needed all the rest she could get because she had to work the next several days.  As she puttered around her apartment, getting ready to turn in, she realized that she had really enjoyed herself tonight.  The Duke family and their friend, Cooter, had reminded her of her own family and the farm seemed so much like home!  They had all talked and laughed with ease and she looked forward to seeing more of them; as she was sure she would, since she and Luke had decided to get more serious!  Luke was wonderful…she could definitely see herself with him for the long haul!  They suited each other well.  Daisy seemed like she would be a real good friend, even like the sister she had never had.  Luke’s uncle reminded her of her own grandfather so much it was scary and Bo…well, Bo was a different story.  There would be no way on earth she could ever feel only brotherly feelings toward Bo Duke!  Her cheeks flushed when she remembered her reaction to Luke’s younger cousin.  She knew she had probably acted like an idiot!  When he touched her…it was all she could do to keep from leaning toward him and kissing him!  His smile and sparkling eyes melted all her resolve to ignore him.  How was it possible to ignore 6 feet, 3 inches of blond gorgeousness? He had talked often during dinner, but she barely heard him.  She had to remind herself to stop staring at his kissable mouth when he spoke!  ‘He must think I’m so rude!  I barely made eye-contact with him!’ she thought, changing into the tank-top and boxers she slept in.  She admitted to herself that she was afraid to meet his eyes.  The feelings she had felt the few times they did overwhelmed her.  Her mind reeled as she remembered holding that midnight-blue gaze with her own…was what she thought she saw in his eyes really there?  Did he feel the same way?  Did he also feel that she was the missing part of his soul…like he was to her? As irrational as it sounded, she realized, tonight, that was exactly how she felt about Bo Duke.  They just had a connection…or at least she felt they did…that she and Luke, as much as she loved him, didn’t have. ‘Great!  That would be my luck…finally find a wonderful man who loves me and who I love in return and the “man of my dreams” turns out to be his cousin and he might possibly have feelings for me, too!’ Meghan thought as she frustratedly brushed out her hair before going to bed.  ‘I just have to be stronger.  I can’t let these crazy feelings for Bo ruin my relationship with Luke.’

She climbed into bed and turned out the bedside lamp.  The petite brunette tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep.  Her dreams started out being about a quiet, gentle man with dark, wavy hair, crystal blue eyes, and work-hardened muscles she could feel underneath the white T-shirt he had worn tonight; but they eventually turned to a tall blond with midnight eyes and a soft, brilliant smile, wearing a red T-shirt over sun-bronzed skin that her hands itched to touch.

 

 

 

          Luke pulled the General into the yard, parking next to Daisy’s jeep.  He climbed out of the window, whistling softly as he did.  He bounded up the porch steps and was almost through the door when he noticed his cousin, Bo, quietly sitting on the glider.  

“Hey, Bo.  I thought you’d be in bed by now…nursin’ that headache.”  Luke said with humor.

 

“Oh, hey, Luke.  Just thinkin’.” Bo said quietly.

 

“Alright, Cousin, what’s goin’ on?” Luke said.  He motioned to Bo with his hand and said, “Scoot over.” 

Bo scooted over on the glider and Luke sat down next to him.  Bo noticed that Luke had gone into his “father/big brother” mode and he grinned, slightly.

 

“Talk to me, Bo.  Something’s bothering you again.  What is it?  You’ve always told me before,” he paused.  “Have I done something to make you not trust me anymore?”  Luke said with concern and a hint of nervousness in his voice.

 

“No, Luke, I still trust you.  That’s not it.  I…I just…I just thought I’d try to handle this on my own; you know, finally be grown up and deal with my problems by myself.  It’s something personal, Luke.  I hope you understand and I didn’t mean to worry you,” Bo’s voice trailed off as he tried to express his thoughts.  “I’m awful sorry about today, too.  I didn’t really mean to get that drunk…it just happened.” Bo shrugged his shoulders and hoped his cousin would accept his explanation and apology.

 

Luke seemed almost at a loss for words.  He took a deep breath and turned to reply to his cousin.

“I guess I understand…and I was more scared about what coulda happened to you than I was mad at you for gettin’ drunk.  I’m sorry, too, for all that stuff I said…I didn’t mean it.  I just wish you’d have talked to somebody before you got to feelin’ that bad.”  Luke ran his hands through his wavy hair.  He was silent for a few minutes; then he looked at his cousin, studying the younger man intently, and spoke…seemingly at a loss for what to say. “It’s just…well…Bo…I’ve just been so used to you comin’ to me with every little thing since you were old enough to talk.  You’ve always come to me to help you or to give you advice…I guess I sorta miss it.  I’m not used to you being all grown-up and having secrets.” Luke admitted with a slight smile and wink as he reached out to ruffle his cousin’s hair. 

 

Bo submitted to the gesture…something Luke had been doing to him since they were small.  When they were children, Bo dee always let on that he hated it, but in truth, it always reminded him of their closeness and shared childhood.  He scowled and smoothed his hair; gave Luke a sideways grin and said, “Oh, brother…between you, Daisy, and Jesse, you’d think I was still ten years old!”

 

“Well, you are the baby of the family…and always will be, Little Cuz!” Luke said as he dodged a light punch from his cousin.

 

“Cute, Lukas…real cute!” Bo said, after he had tried to hit his cousin’s arm.

 

“Changing the subject,” Luke said, as he rubbed his hands together, “what did you think of Meghan?”

 

Bo’s expression quickly became thoughtful, his eyes distant. “She’s a wonderful woman, Luke.  You’re a lucky man to find someone like her.  You two seem to really be suited for each other.”  Bo said honestly.

 

“Thanks, Bo.  I really do like her…I love her.  I could see myself settling down with her.” Luke chuckled, “Can you believe it?  I’m actually thinking seriously about settling down with one woman!”

 

“That’s great, Luke.  I’m happy for you.  You deserve a good woman like her and she needs someone like you, too.  I hope everything works out for the two of you.”  Bo said, putting a hand on Luke’s shoulder.  He was barely able to suppress his emotions.  He told his cousin the truth, meaning every word, while hiding his own breaking heart.

 

Luke noticed the seriousness in Bo’s eyes and voice.  He was unused to his younger cousin acting in such a manner.  He also noticed that Bo’s eyes seemed a little too bright.  Were there tears in his eyes…nah, it was just a reflection from the porch light…wasn’t it?

“Bo…that really means a lot to me.  Thanks.  You’re a good friend.”

Luke put an arm around his cousin and drew him into a hug.  Bo squeezed his older cousin tightly.  He wanted to cry…about Meghan, about hiding this secret from Luke and about his choice to leave...but he steeled himself against the feeling.  The two cousins soon got up and went into the house, both tired from the eventful day and evening.  Later, as the blond Duke lay in his bed, he allowed his pent-up tears to freely and silently slide down his face.  His mind had decided what his heart could not.  He would definitely leave the farm to ensure Luke’s happiness with Meghan…even if it meant sentencing himself to a lifetime of misery without her or the closeness of his family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 12

 

 

          Bo had discussed his plans with Jesse and the older man, while trying his best to persuade his nephew to stay, understood his reasoning.  Jesse had at least convinced Bo to post-pone his leaving till after harvest and the holidays were over.  He would start his new life at the beginning of the new year; the months in between, however, had been tough on the young man.  Meghan had started coming to the farm more often and had started accompanying Bo and Luke to races and such.  Bo had gotten quite good at hiding his feelings when he was around Luke, but it was getting harder and harder to do when he was around Meghan on the rare occasions they were left alone together.  Daisy and Jesse made special efforts to be around whenever Meghan was there, but it was not always possible.  The emotional stress of hiding his true feelings all the time began to take its toll on the blond-haired man.  His sleep was haunted by dreams, both torturously good ones and occasional nightmares.  He wasn’t eating well…a fact that caught everyone’s attention, since Bo had always been known to have a big appetite!  His asthma, which had all but disappeared again over the summer, had started to make its presence known as late fall came to Hazzard.  Bo often woke from his dreams wheezing and coughing; fumbling on his bedside table for his inhaler.  He was constantly on edge…afraid Luke would find out his secret love for Meghan…afraid he would slip up and reveal his feelings to Meghan, herself.  He had to get away, to put some distance between them…if he didn’t, he would go crazy!

 

  

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          The fall harvesting was over and the year’s crops had done well.  The Duke family celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving with their close friends and had much to be thankful for.  The family was, however, worried about Bo.  He looked awful and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts most of the time.  Bo endured everyone’s fussing and encouragement to eat more and spent his time trying to convince them that he was fine, “just a little under the weather”. Cooter had joined the Dukes and Meghan for the holiday meal and was present for the celebration that followed.  Luke had finally gotten up enough courage and asked Meghan to marry him.  Much to everyone’s surprise, Luke rose from the dinner table, knelt on one knee in front of Meghan and proposed in front of everyone!  Through tears and laughter, Meghan said “yes” and the entire room erupted in congratulations, hugs and sounds of delight.  Daisy called everyone she could think of and soon an impromptu engagement party was taking place!  The only person who seemed a bit subdued, was Bo.  He was, in a way, truly happy for them and was the first to envelope Luke in a bear-hug of congratulations.  He warmly hugged Meghan and welcomed her to the family.  It was the hardest thing he had ever done.  He wanted her to be part of the family, yes…but as his wife, not Luke’s.  He wanted to yell in outrage and pain.  He wanted to grab Meghan and run to the General to get as far away from Luke and Hazzard County as they could get.  He wanted to break down and cry like a baby, but he kept a smile on his face for Luke and the rest of the family’s benefit.  As soon as he could, without seeming too rude, Bo pulled on his coat and snuck away from the party…his excuse was that he had eaten too much and now felt bad.  He spent the rest of the evening in the hayloft, drinking beer and deciding where he would go as soon as the year was over.  He would go north, maybe North Carolina or somewhere else where there were big racetracks.  Bo knew his best chance at a decent job would be something related to cars or driving; maybe he could even get back into NASCAR, if he was lucky.  Racing without Luke would be hard…they had always worked as a team…but, he would do it if he had to.  After all, Luke would be starting a new life of his own…with his new wife.  Bo shook his head in disbelief as he thought.  The Duke boys are finally growing up!  “Heaven help us all!” he said, out loud, before he drained his can of beer and settled back into a bale of hay, tightening his arms around himself against the cold of the late November night.

 

 

 

          Bo’s night in the frigid hayloft had left him with a very bad cold and some stiff muscles.  The younger Duke slowly made his way into the farmhouse; coughing and sniffing the entire way.  He skipped breakfast and went straight to bed, where he planned to stay for most of the day.  Bo avoided most of the questioning from Luke and Cooter, who had stayed the night, (Daisy and Jesse pretty much knew why he had been hiding out) by saying he had not felt well and just fell asleep in the barn by accident.  Luke seemed to accept Bo’s answer easily.  He had noticed that Bo had not looked well yesterday and maybe the excitement of the party had been too much for him. Luke had planned to spend the next few days with his cousin since Meghan was working the next seven days straight. He wanted Bo to be his best man and needed help in getting things organized for the upcoming wedding and he just wanted some extra time with his best friend before he and Meghan started their life together.  He and Meghan had decided to marry on New Year’s Eve; neither of them wanted to prolong things much longer!  Luke smiled at that thought as he helped Daisy wash up the morning’s breakfast dishes.  He and Daisy could hear Bo coughing from down the hall.  Daisy looked at Luke, her brow creased with worry.  She sometimes still felt the need to worry and fuss over Bo even though he had been healthy as a horse since he was fifteen.  After all…this had been a pretty rough year for him…

 

“Luke, Bo doesn’t sound too good.  I’m gonna go check on him.” she said as she dried her hands with a dishtowel and turned to leave the kitchen.

 

“Now wait a minute, Daisy.  Bo probably just has a bad cold from being in that loft all night.  He needs to get warm and get some rest; and he can’t get any rest if you wake him up and pester him.  If he needs something, he’ll let us know.  Besides, I’ll be in and out today and I can check on him.  You get on to work and tell everyone at the Boar’s Nest about my weddin’!” Luke said with a wink and a grin as he popped his dishtowel at his cousin.

 

“All right, Romeo!  You call me at work if you need anything.  Uncle Jesse’s gone to Aunt Lavinia’s for a couple of weeks to help her with some business and to visit some of the cousins so try not to make too big of a mess while he’s gone, OK?” Daisy said quickly as she grabbed her coat and purse, gave Luke a peck on the cheek and headed for the door.

 

 

 

 

          The next few days went on as usual for the three Duke cousins. Jesse’s nightly phone calls let them know that he was well and enjoying his visit with Lavinia.  Daisy had her chores and her work at the Boar’s Nest.  Bo and Luke had their chores and the plans for Luke’s wedding to occupy them…that is, when they weren’t being chased by Roscoe and Enos for one thing or another.  However, things were far from being well for the youngest Duke.  Bo’s cold was not leaving him; in fact, it was becoming alarmingly worse.  He tried to hide his symptoms from Daisy and Luke…they would only worry and he would get a long lecture about sleeping in the hayloft, and frankly, he didn’t want to hear it!  Bo had been taking some cold medicine and had decided to go see Doc if he wasn’t any better by the next day. 

 

          Luke had asked Bo to go with him to pick up his and Meghan’s marriage license.  The boys were driving to town, the sound of General’s engine roaring through the cold December air, and enjoying the slow pace of the day.  They were talking of Luke’s upcoming trip to Tennessee with Meghan to visit her family at Christmas. Luke also told Bo of his plans to get a job in Capital City and move into Meghan’s apartment until they could get a new place.  Silence eventually overtook the two cousins, since Bo did not feel like keeping up his usually endless supply of chatter.  Bo sat, leaning against the door, with his eyes half closed.  Luke noticed that his cousin seemed quieter than normal and looked ill.  Luke thought, “Bo must be sick, he asked me to drive and he’s been quiet for ten minutes!”

 

“Hey, Cousin, you OK?”  Luke asked.

 

“Yeah…,” Bo started to say, but Luke looked sideways at him as if to say he didn’t believe him, “…Well, not really.  I guess I’ve still got a little bit of that cold.”

 

“Well, that’s what you get for sleeping in the barn in November…” Luke started to say.

 

“Luke, I know it’s my own dang fault!  I don’t feel like hearing a lecture, all right?  Let’s just get into town and do our business so we can get home.”  Bo snapped.

 

“OK, OK! Don’t get your feathers up.  Jeesh, you’re as testy as a wet hen!”  Luke replied.

 

“I’m sorry, Luke; but I really don’t feel good.  I just want to get home and go back to bed.” Bo said, miserably.  The younger man immediately went into a coughing fit.

 

Luke looked at his cousin with concern.  Bo seemed really sick.  His face was flushed and he sounded as if he were coughing up a lung!  The dark haired man pulled the General into a 180, taking them back toward the farm. 

 

“What are you doing?” Bo managed to say between coughs.

 

“I’m taking you home and then I’m calling Doc.”

“Luke, you need to get that marriage license today.  Let’s just go on and get it. It won’t take long, and then I’ll let you call Doc.”  Bo replied and jerked the keys out of the ignition.

 

Luke glared at his cousin as the car rolled to a stop.

“If you felt this bad…why didn’t you just stay home?  I could’ve done it by myself.”

 

“Because you asked me to go with you…that’s why.  I’m your best man and I’m supposed to help you with stuff like this.  I wouldn’t leave you to do it all by yourself.  Besides…” Bo said sheepishly, “I didn’t feel this bad when we left.  So let’s get goin’, cousin!  We’ve got things to do before I keel over.” Bo said with a slight chuckle as he tossed the keys to Luke.

 

Luke shook his head.  He would never understand his younger cousin.  Luke realized then how much he would miss being around Bo all the time; but…Capital City wasn’t that far from Hazzard and he could still see Bo and the others at least a few times a week, he hoped.   Luke headed the General toward Hazzard and they sped off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13

 

 

Bo and Luke finished their errands and stopped by the Boar’s Nest for a while.  Luke was greeted by shouts and hugs of congratulations on his engagement and was treated to a few beers from friends.  He was enjoying himself and showed off his and Meghan’s marriage license like it was made of gold.  Bo, Daisy and Cooter had never seen Luke so happy and open about his feelings before.  Bo had lied and told Luke that he was feeling better…he didn’t want to rain on Luke’s parade…so he tried to act fine and cheerful.  As hard as he tried, though, his charade was wearing thinner the longer he sat on his barstool.  He felt a big coughing fit coming on and slipped off to the men’s room.  After a long while, Bo returned to the crowded barroom, burning with fever and exhausted.  He ached all over and it hurt to breathe.  In fact, it was becoming very hard to even draw a breath.  He knew he needed to go to the doctor…he had put it off too long.  He headed toward the others but stopped as his vision began to blur and go dark.

 

Daisy looked up from the mug she was drying to see her cousin walk out of the bathroom.  He looked terrible!  She saw him sway on his feet and she knew he was about to pass out.

“Bo!” She yelled across the bar.

Cooter and Luke were alerted by Daisy’s outburst.  Both men turned in time to see Bo’s knees buckle.  Luke was able to reach the young man before he completely hit the ground.  He gently lowered his cousin to the dusty floor and was shocked at the heat coming from Bo’s skin.  Luke calmed himself and let his military training guide him through an assessment of Bo’s condition.

 

“What’s the matter with him?” said Cooter.

 

“He’s been sick with a cold since the day after Thanksgiving, but it’s more than a cold, now.  He’s sicker than he let on…isn’t he?” Daisy said.

 

“Yeah, he is and he’s been too stubborn to stay home and rest or to go see the doctor.” Luke said with frustration as he continued to try to rouse his cousin.

“He’s got a high fever and he’s not breathing too good.  From the way he’s been coughin’, I’d bet Boss Hogg’s bank that he’s got pneumonia.”

 

Upon hearing Luke’s comment, Cooter slipped through the crowd gathered around them and called an ambulance.  Luke folded up his coat and placed it under Bo’s head.  Daisy knelt next to her cousins and felt Bo’s forehead. 

 

She gasped with shock; he was so hot, his skin felt like it was on fire.

“Luke, he’s burning up!”

 

“I know. We need to get him to the hospital,” said Luke.

 

“The ambulance is on its way,” said Cooter, rejoining the others.

 

Luke and Daisy looked up at their friend with surprise.  They had not realized he had left. Luke nodded his head; his gratitude showing in his eyes.

 

 

 

Thirty minutes later, a Tri-County ambulance left the Boar’s Nest, headed toward Capital City.  Bo Duke lay on the gurney with an oxygen mask over his face; the rapid, irregular beeping of a cardiac monitor telling the strain his body was under.  A red-haired paramedic in his late thirties sat on one side of the unconscious young man and Luke sat on the other. The paramedic had determined that Bo’s temperature was dangerously high and had placed ice packs on his chest and under his arms.  Luke looked on as fear and worry clouded his mind as the vehicle careened around curves; racing to the hospital.

Soon the wild ride ended and Bo was whisked out of the ambulance and into the Emergency Room.  Luke filled out the admission forms that were placed in front of him as best he could and sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs to wait for news.

 

          Daisy had called Jesse at Aunt Lavinia’s house and told him about Bo’s collapse.  Jesse had assured her that he would be home as soon as he could.  Daisy then sped toward the hospital, Cooter accompanying her.

They arrived at the hospital in time to hear the latest update on Bo’s condition.

 

A tall, blond-haired nurse told them that Bo was being transferred to ICU as soon as a bed became available and that a doctor would be out to talk to them soon.  Luke hugged Daisy and tried not to let his worry show too much.  Daisy could tell, however, that her older cousin was upset.

 

“Has anyone told you what’s going on, other than what we just heard?” she asked.

 

“No. That’s the first news I’ve heard.  ICU…he must be in bad shape.” Luke said quietly, looking at his hands.

“Don’t worry, Lukas.  Bo will be out of here in time for your weddin’.  He’ll be up and raising Cain with all of us in no time.”  Cooter said as he put a comforting arm around each of his friends.

 

Daisy smiled at Cooter and hugged him.

 

 Luke just nodded, still looking away.  Luke felt that he should have noticed how sick Bo was.  He should have known all along what was going on with his cousin instead of being absorbed in his own life.  Hell, we’ve been side by side nearly everyday since he was two and even shared a room most of our lives.  We’re as close as brothers.  He should’ve been able to come to me.  Why didn’t he?” Luke thought as he cracked his knuckles in nervousness.  He hoped he would have a chance to become close to his “little brother” again, but now…with getting married and Bo being sick and all…he just didn’t know how things would work out.  For the first time in his life, Luke Duke didn’t know what to do; he didn’t have a plan and he had no idea how things might unravel.  He was scared…and he didn’t like it one bit. 

 

Luke, Daisy and Cooter were soon joined by a very worried Jesse and the small group waited patiently for any news concerning Bo.

 

*************************************************************

 

          Meghan Riley was winding down a hard day at work on the sixth floor neurology unit.  She had gotten all five of her demanding patients settled for the evening and was completing her charting before the end of her shift.  It felt good to sit down for a while!  Her lower back and legs briefly protested the change in position but she soon was able to relax a bit as she jotted notes about Mrs. Johnson in room 610’s condition after her recent back surgery.  Meghan was roused from her recount of the day’s events by a soft, very familiar voice.  The petite brunette looked up to see her fiancé standing a few feet away.  She was surprised to see Luke at the hospital and was even more surprised at the look of worry and fear on his face.  Her strong Luke looked like a scared child as he stared at her with wide eyes and a serious expression.

 

“Luke, honey, what’s wrong?” she said as she came around the nurse’s station to embrace the dark-haired man. “Has something happened to Uncle Jesse?”

 

Luke squeezed her hard in return.  He broke free of the embrace and began to pace in the small area where they stood.  He took a deep breath and prepared to tell Meghan what was going on.  He took her hands in his own and held on tightly.

“No…he’s fine.  It’s Bo.  You know that he’s been sick off and on since Thanksgiving, right?”  Meghan nodded.  “Well, he didn’t get any better and he’s been hiding it from all of us.  He looked really sick today and was coughing a lot…but he said he was feeling better, so we went to the Boar’s Nest after running some errands.  While we were there, Bo collapsed and has been unconscious ever since.  The doctor said he’s got a really bad case of pneumonia in both lungs and a seriously high fever.  They’ve put him in ICU…on a ventilator…he can’t even breathe on his own anymore.  His fever is so high…” Luke stopped talking and swallowed hard.  He braced himself and continued, “the doctor said that if the fever doesn’t go down soon, Bo could die or be brain damaged…besides the fact that he could die at any time due to the infection!  It’s bad, Meghan.  Daisy and Uncle Jesse are waiting to go in to see him; but I don’t know if I can see him like that…lying there, hooked up to those machines.  He’s been sick before…when he was a kid or had a spell with his asthma…but nothing like this.  The doctor didn’t sound too sure that Bo would even make it, Meghan! My best friend could be dying and I can’t do anything about it!  I’ve always been able to take care of him.  I’ve always been the one he ran to…I always knew what to do to make things better.” Luke’s voice softened, “I couldn’t protect him this time…I know I couldn’t help it…but I feel like I’ve let him down or betrayed him somehow.” Luke’s careful mask that he usually used to hide his emotions cracked.  Silent tears streaked his face as his fear for Bo’s life consumed him.  He let Meghan draw him into an embrace and was grateful for her soothing touch.

 

The young nurse held Luke tightly and gave him what strength she could as she offered her support.  Her own feelings of fear and worry were raging through her mind.  Meghan’s heart had dropped at the news that Bo was ill.  Her mouth had gone dry at Luke’s description of his cousin’s condition.  She knew all too well that a serious illness such as this could kill even perfectly healthy, strong people such as Bo Duke.  She had to see him.  She had to let him know how she felt about him before it was too late; regardless of the potential consequences.

 

 

 

Twenty years later, on a hillside overlooking the Tennessee River, rural West Tennessee;

Bo Duke continues to reminisce about his life since meeting Meghan Riley.

 

          “That’s pretty much all I remember about the year we met, Meggie.  Granted, some of it was based on what Daisy told me, after the fact.  Daisy and Uncle Jesse told me that I came pretty close to dying.  I sometimes wonder if things had been better off if I had; I mean better for you and Luke.  I know he would have been happier if things between you and him had stayed like they were.  I’ll always treasure knowing that you loved me the way that I loved you…I just wish I had been able to let you know I felt the same way.”  Bo went silent for a while, the gentle spring breeze tousling his short, blond hair as he played with the weeds that grew around the tree he sat beneath.  “Daisy said Luke walked in the room just as you were telling me how you felt.  I know it hurt him…it had to hurt you, too.  I wish I could’ve prevented it.  I do nothing but cause trouble; even when I’m unconscious!” He smiled, grimly.  “I know it doesn’t help matters any to relive all of this, but I have to.  It’s all my fault, Meggie!  If I hadn’t been around, we wouldn’t have fallen for each other, you and Luke wouldn’t have argued, and you wouldn’t have left that night and gotten in that wreck.”  Bo reached out with a trembling hand and gently traced the letters etched in the granite monument next to him.  I’m the reason you’re dead!  I didn’t even know what had happened until after you were already buried.  I couldn’t love you like you deserved and I kept Luke from loving you, too.”  He wiped away the tears that had streaked his face as he spoke.

 

After several minutes of silence, he took a deep breath and rose from the ground, caressing the stone marker as if it were his beloved’s face. “Well, Meggie, to make a long story short, I’ve spent the last twenty years trying my best to get myself killed.  I’m too chicken to just go on and do it, but I’ve entered every dangerous race, been in every life threatening situation I could…just to try to end the pain.  I blamed myself and I blamed Luke, a little, for your death.  Luke blamed me, completely, and that’s one reason I left the farm as quickly as I could.  I tried to be there for Luke, to help him and to grieve with him, but he couldn’t stand to look at me.  I couldn’t stand being around home; the memories of you and of happy times with Luke and my family were too much.  Luke and I didn’t speak for nearly ten years.  But now we can talk to each other and we’re trying to get close again…but I don’t know if we can ever be like we were.  Uncle Jesse’s gone now…maybe you two have seen each other…I hope so; he liked you.  Luke has moved on with his life after a few reckless years.  He’s in with the Forestry Service and is thinking about retiring from smoke jumping.  He’s married and they’re thinking about starting a family.  Daisy and Enos finally married and they are doing great…Daisy has a PhD…can you believe it?  And me…I’ve become a success without even trying.  I’ve lived my dreams…but it doesn’t matter without someone to share it all with.  My someone was you, Meggie.  I still love you and I miss you more every day.  Daisy tells me I need to get over you and live my life…but I can’t…something won’t let me…I can’t stop thinking about the past; wondering if I could have done something differently.” He paused, looking tenderly, through tear-dimmed eyes at the yellow roses he had placed on Meghan’s grave. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you.  I came once…when I first left home, but I couldn’t bring myself to get any closer than the gate.  I couldn’t bear the thought of you lying here.”  Bo sighed as he walked toward the edge of the small cemetery.  He grew closer to the bluff overlooking the river.  “I’m supposed to be on my way to Hazzard…to meet up with Daisy and Luke at the farm.  I’ve been thinking about retiring and just moving back home.  I want to try to get some of my old life back…I’m tired, Meggie.  I’m so tired of trying to outrun the memories and ‘what could’ve been’…it’s like I’ve been in twenty-year long nightmare and I can’t wake up!”  The blond haired man ran his hands through his hair, viciously, and shouted into the wind, “Please, God…please, help me!  I don’t know what to do anymore…I just want it all to end! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 14

 

At the moment those words left his mouth, Bo Duke felt as if the world had tilted violently. He lost his balance and fell to his knees.  He seemed to be enveloped in a thick fog…he could no longer see the countryside around him.  His vision clouded further and he heard voices…voices from his past. The voices were not speaking directly to him…but they were close to him…sometimes mentioning his name.  He heard his Uncle Jesse, a younger sounding Daisy and Luke, and…could it be? He heard the unmistakable sound of Meghan’s soft, musical voice!   They were the voices of his past, all right, but he didn’t remember ever hearing these conversations before. What were those strange noises in the background?  Why couldn’t he move or speak? 

‘What’s going on?  Have I finally lost my mind?’

 

Reality:  September, 1985…Tri-County Hospital, Long-Term/Rehabilitative Care Unit

 

          Luke Duke stared, stonily, out the window of the sixth floor waiting room.   His whole life had changed in the past six months.  Who would have thought that one event would have such an impact on a whole family. It was almost as if all the joy had been instantaneously sucked out of their lives.  His uncle rarely smiled anymore and Daisy, who was usually always smiling and quick with a laugh, was now more prone to tears than laughter.  Luke, himself, had become more reserved.  He kept his emotions and thoughts completely to himself, rarely speaking to anyone except family and close friends. The eldest Duke cousin had never realized how closely his family was knit until one of them was gone.  “But, he’s not gone…not yet anyways,” Luke thought about the conversation he had just overheard between his uncle and the doctors. 

 

“They’re wrong!  They just have to be wrong!” He said to himself as he pounded the window frame with his fists.  He jumped as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.  He turned to see his cousin Daisy standing behind him with tears shining in her eyes.

 

“Luke, honey, I’m afraid they might be right this time.  You know how bad Bo was hurt…I mean…six months in a coma, all those problems and now this pneumonia…Luke, even if he does somehow make it…”  Daisy broke down and began to sob.  Luke hugged her to his chest and began to rub her back to soothe her.  He knew all too well what his cousin was talking about.  Even if Bo did live through this he could still spend the rest of his life in a coma or brain-damaged to the point where he couldn’t take care of himself.  Either way, his best friend was gone.

 

“Where’s Uncle Jesse?” Luke asked, trying to control the surge of emotions running through him.

 

Daisy wiped her eyes and sniffed as she struggled to find her voice, “He’s gone down to the chapel.  I thought I’d give him a little time alone and then I’d join him.  He’s havin’ a real hard time right now…he doesn’t want to see Bo suffer, but he can’t let him go.”

 

“I know the feelin’.” Luke said, softly.

 

“Do you wanna come down to the chapel with me?” Daisy asked as she turned to walk toward the elevators.

 

“Nah.  I think I’ll go sit with Bo for a little while…maybe talk to him a bit.”

 

“OK…Luke, I love you.  Tell Bo I love him, too and me and Jesse’ll be up in a little while.”  Daisy returned to her cousin and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

 

Luke returned the kiss.  “Love you, too, Cuz and I’ll be sure to tell him, even though he knows it already,” he said with a wink and turned her back toward the elevators.

 

 

          Luke entered the Long-Term Care Unit and wandered back into the room his cousin had been in for a little over five months.  The room was more “homey” looking than a regular hospital room and was plastered in pictures and posters from concerts and races…just anything to talk about and to possibly remind Bo of his life before the accident…that is if he ever woke up to see them.  Luke went over to the large window and stared out of it.  He could still see the events that led up to Bo’s accident.  They had played out in his mind like a movie…every day since.  He kept trying to figure out if he could have done anything different…

 

 

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It was early April.  He and Bo had been driving back from town.  Jesse had sent them to get some new pieces for Maudine’s harness and they had to hurry back to start work in the fields.  Bo was his usual self, talkative and having fun. The two cousins were just enjoying the day.  They briefly had a chase with Roscoe, but ended it by leaving the Sheriff yellin’ at them after he went nose-first into a cow pond.  On their way back to the farm, Bo decided to take one of his famous short-cuts.  Soon the Duke boys found themselves in their usual position:   in the wrong place at the wrong time.  All was well until they passed the old Jenson place.  Apparently, some of Boss Hogg’s “business associates” were using the abandoned farm as their hide-out.  They obviously didn’t want any company and objected strongly to the sight of the orange charger and its two occupants speeding through “their territory”.  Before they really realized what was going on, Bo and Luke found themselves smack in the middle of another chase.  The Duke boys had no idea who the angry men were and they sure didn’t know why they were chasing them.  Luke looked behind while Bo floored the accelerator.

“Come on, Bo!  Quit foolin’ around and lose ‘em, already.”

“I’m tryin’, I’m tryin’.  You’re not helpin’ any by hollerin’ in my ear!”

“Shut up and drive!  I think they’ve got guns.”

“Who are those fellas anyway?  We didn’t do nothin’ to them.”

Luke shrugged his shoulders and looked out the front window.  Jenson’s Creek was coming up fast.

“Uh, you do realize there ain’t no bridge over that creek.”

“Yeah, but it’s either jump it or turn around…and I don’t want to turn around.  Do you?”

“Nope…step on it, Cuz.”

Just as Bo gunned the engine, preparing to jump, shots rang out.

“They’re shootin’ at us!” Bo said in a panicked voice.

Luke ducked down in the seat and tried to get Bo to scoot down as much as he could.  More shots were fired as the General sped ever closer toward the creek.   Just as Bo sat up a little higher in order to line the car up for the jump, two bullets pierced the back window.

Luke yelped, “Whoa! That was a little closer than I like it.  Way to go, Cousin! They’re not gonna try to follow us over...”  Luke stopped and looked on in horror as the car sped toward the creek.  Something was wrong; they were headed for the woods, not the small clearing on the other side.  “Bo…straighten up!  That’s gonna be a rough landin’…Bo?”  Luke looked over at his cousin.

He briefly caught sight of Bo slumped over the steering wheel, blood staining the back of his head, before the General, completely off course, went airborne and slammed straight into a grove of trees on the other side of the creek.  The impact threw both Bo and Luke from the car.  Luke was briefly knocked unconscious.  He awoke and found himself lying in a ditch near the creek.  His head throbbed and his left leg hurt beyond belief.  He gave himself a quick once over and determined that a cut on his forehead and a broken leg were the worst of his injuries.  He suddenly remembered his last picture of Bo; unmoving and blood staining his bright blond hair.

“Oh my God!  Bo!  Bo, where are you?”

Luke struggled to drag himself to the wrecked remains of the General Lee.  The car looked terrible, but foremost on his mind now was his cousin.

After a few minutes search, Luke found Bo.  The younger man was lying a few yards away from the car.  He was lying face up, unmoving, and was covered in cuts and scratches.  Luke crawled over to his cousin and tried to rouse him.

Thankfully, Bo was breathing and had a rapid but steady heartbeat.   He appeared to have no obviously broken bones.  Luke braced himself for what he would find as he put his hand beneath his cousin’s head.  His hand was instantly covered in blood.  He found an entrance wound.  Luke’s heart almost stopped.  Bo had been shot…and the bullet was still lodged in his head!  Luke paled and almost fainted.  He had seen too many men die in ‘Nam from bullet wounds like this.  How was Bo going to survive getting shot in the head…plus a car accident on top of that?  He had to get help.  Luke struggled to get to the General’s CB, praying that it still worked.

His prayers were answered and he was able to radio for help.  To Luke’s pain and fear addled mind, it seemed he and Bo were almost immediately surrounded by people.  Jesse, Daisy, Cooter, Roscoe, Enos and the ambulance personnel had all been alerted by Luke’s frantic radio message.

After a brief stay in the hospital, Luke was able to leave with nothing more than a cast on his left leg and crutches. 

Bo, however, had to be flown to Atlanta for emergency surgery to remove the bullet and skull fragments from his brain.  He stayed in the trauma unit for a couple of weeks and was transferred back to Tri-County General.

After the doctors realized Bo was not coming out of his coma any time soon, he was moved to the Long-Term Care unit.  Bo arrived in the unit looking shockingly different.  His head had been shaved for the surgery and he was hooked up to so many machines!  He had not moved or made a sound since the accident.  Luke and Daisy didn’t know what upset them more…the sight of Bo attached to life-support machines, the sight of the incision on his nearly bald head or the fact that Bo was so unnaturally still and quiet.  Daisy fretted about Bo’s hair and was overjoyed when the blond strands began to grow back long enough to cover the ugly scar. Bo was given a very slim chance of ever waking up.   The Duke’s were told that with his type of injury, many people who did manage to wake up were left severely brain damaged.  The medical staff really didn’t expect Bo to live as long as he had.  Jesse told them all that Bo was a Duke and that ‘Duke’s didn’t give up the fight.’ Luke often joked that Bo was too stubborn to get up and too stubborn to die and that he would wake up only when he was good and ready.  The Duke family stayed by Bo’s side, praying and hoping he would regain consciousness at any time.  They had almost lost him several times over the last six months due to breathing complications due his history of asthma, fever due to infections, and now this severe case of pneumonia.

 

Luke remembered one of the doctors telling him “this is usually how cases like this end up: dying from pneumonia”…but Beauregard Duke was not just a “case”!  ‘He has a life, he has a family…he’s got too much left to do.  He’s only 25, for Christ’s sake!  He’s not supposed to die like this…helpless.  He’d want to go out fightin’.’

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Luke finished his daily replay of the accident…finding once again that there was nothing he could have done to protect his ‘baby brother’.  Cooter had managed to restore the beloved orange Charger to its former condition, but Luke could barely bring himself to drive it without his “co-pilot”.  He continued to stare out the window for a few minutes before turning to look at the still young man in the bed across the room.  He still couldn’t believe that his younger cousin, the one that was always so full of energy, mischief and life, was lying there…motionless and lifeless except for the constant hiss of the ventilator and soft beeping of the heart monitor and IV machines.  He slowly sat down in the hard chair that he, Jesse, Daisy, or sometimes Cooter or Enos had occupied at one time or another since Bo’s admittance to the hospital.  He reached out and grasped the limp, cool hand of his cousin.  Luke swallowed hard.  Bo felt too cold, too lifeless! 

“Bo, it’s me.  I’m here, now.  Look, I know you don’t want to live like this…but, don’t leave us…please, Cousin!  Don’t leave, not yet.  You have to wake up and be alright.  If you don’t, they’re gonna let you die!  Please, Bo, listen to me,” Luke begged his still cousin.

The dark-haired man leaned over and laid his head on the bed.  He couldn’t be strong any longer. His body soon shook with emotions that had been held in check ever since that day, six months ago. 

 

*************************************************************

          Meghan Riley was making her usual rounds.  The patients in her ward were not difficult to deal with, just time consuming.  She felt the only problem was getting too attached to these long-term patients.  She was having an unusually hard time trying not to get attached to one patient in particular.  Meghan had started work at Tri-County General about three weeks before this young man was admitted to the Long-Term/Rehabilitative Care Unit and he had been her patient ever since the day he arrived.   He was very attractive and something about him just seemed to draw her to him… even though he had been badly injured and had been completely unresponsive since.  From his family members, she had gotten an idea of his past and his personality and she longed to know the man Bo Duke had been before his arrival into her world.  When she worked with the blond-haired man she found herself opening her heart and soul to him.  She knew he couldn’t respond to her, but she couldn’t explain to herself or anyone else why she felt such a connection to this man.  She actually felt…as crazy as it sounded…that she could be falling in love with Bo Duke!

Great, Meghan!  You have to go and fall in love with a man who’s in a coma!  You can’t do anything normal, can you?” she thought as she gathered supplies needed in Bo’s room.   She had been off work for the last week, taking a long overdue trip home, and was concerned to hear that Bo had contracted a case of pneumonia and was taking a turn for the worse.  She hoped to have some time alone with her favorite patient to talk to him and maybe reconcile her feelings for him before any thing happened.  Meghan fought back tears.  She couldn’t get overly emotional…she was a nurse!  She had to be professional and show her concern for a patient in a more reserved way.

 

Meghan juggled the medical supplies and clean linens as she approached the door to Bo Duke’s room.  She paused in the doorway as she heard heart-wrenching sobs coming from within.  Her heart clenched and her blood ran cold, ‘Oh, no! He’s gone!’ she thought.

All thoughts of professionalism went out the window as her concern for Bo took over.  “What’s wrong?  Bo!” she cried and dropped the items she carried to the floor as she ran into the room.

 

Luke Duke jerked his head up in surprise.  He noticed Bo’s usual nurse, Meghan, standing at his side, with a look of sheer panic on her face.

 

“Meghan!  It’s good to see you back. We missed you last week,” he said as he wiped his eyes and tried to regain his composure.

 

“It’s good to see you, too.  What’s going on?  How is he?” Meghan asked as she went around to the other side of the bed and started to examine Bo.  She was shocked to realize that while she was gone, his breathing had gotten so bad that he had been placed on a ventilator.  Meghan listened to his heart and lungs and checked every monitoring line and piece of tubing that ran into or out of his body.  When she had assessed Bo to her satisfaction, finding that Bo was alive, but a great deal worse than when she last saw him, she looked up at the dark-haired man, questioningly. 

 

Luke had sat quietly, watching as the petite, brown-haired nurse performed her duties.  He knew she cared for Bo, but the look of worry she had and the gentle, tender touch she used now let Luke know that she felt a lot more than professional concern for his cousin.

 

“It’s bad, Meghan.  They don’t think he’ll make it through the night,” he paused at her sharp intake of breath.  Luke stood and placed a steadying hand on the young nurse’s shoulder.  He watched as she stroked a small hand through his cousin’s unruly blond hair before continuing. 

“The doctor’s are saying that even if he does live…he won’t have much of a chance of surviving for very long or most likely will never recover. They’ve advised Uncle Jesse to pull the plug and just let him pass on…peaceful-like…so he won’t suffer any more.”  Luke’s voice was strained, showing his difficulty with coming to terms with the finality of his cousin’s condition.

 

Meghan could hardly believe what she had heard.  She knew Bo had been in a bad state, but she had always been optimistic that he would improve with time.  He couldn’t die…not without knowing that she loved him.  It wouldn’t really make any difference…she knew…but she had to tell him.  She took a shuddering breath and looked up at Bo’s cousin for some sort of comfort or unrealistic assurance that Bo would be fine.  Luke had been there everyday and had become a good friend to her, as had all of Bo’s family and friends.

 

Luke could see the pain and tears in Meghan’s eyes.  He pulled her into a gentle hug.  She rested her head on his chest.  She tried not to cry but she couldn’t hold back her feelings any longer.  Meghan held onto Luke tightly and spilled out her heart.  Even though he could barely understand her words, Luke knew that she was telling him that she loved Bo.  He thought how Bo would have fallen head over heels for this little nurse and would have tried every way possible to impress her…and he still managed to get her to fall in love with him anyway, even when he was unconscious!

Luke held Meghan, patting her back to comfort her.  “You know what?  I have a feeling he’d be crazy about you, too.” Luke said. 

 

“Really?” Meghan asked as she gently pulled out of Luke’s embrace, wiping her red eyes and streaming nose.

 

*************************************************************

 

Bo Duke seemed to come in and out of a thick fog.  He couldn’t move a muscle and he barely felt anything.  He grasped bits and pieces of what was happening around him and tried to make some sense of it all.  During his brief periods of awareness, Bo could not see but he could hear everything going on around him.  He could hear the rhythmic whooshing of the ventilator and the soft beeping of the machines.  ‘I guess I’m in a hospital…but why?  Luke said I need to wake up…something about not leaving yet…and they’re gonna let me die?  What’s goin’ on?  Why am I here…what the heck happened?’  Bo’s mind was whirling.  He had no idea what was going on.  Was this actually real or was it a dream?

Would he wake up in the cemetery beside Meghan’s grave or…wait, someone was touching him…a woman’s hands…not Daisy, but he recognized her touch.

 

Meggie?’ He knew it was her!  His sweet angel was there, alive!  She was touching him, speaking to him, stroking her fingers through his hair.  He heard her telling Luke that she loved him!  Him! Not Luke!  Bo’s heart soared. His Meggie was alive and loved him, Luke didn’t hate him, and he had his life before him… he had to let them know he wanted to live!

He vaguely remembered hearing his Uncle Jesse talking to someone about turning off the machines…

‘That’s what Luke meant.  They’re gonna let me die!’  He had to wake up! 

‘I don’t know what happened, but I’m not ready to die yet!  Damn it, why can’t I move?  If I could just open my eyes or something…just to let them know I’m here!’

 

          Unbeknownst to Luke and Meghan, Bo was gradually, bit by bit, coming out of his coma.  He was still a long way from being fully awake, but he was becoming more aware of his surroundings and trying to wake up.  His frustration at not being able to wake up, however, was playing havoc with his vital signs.

 

Meghan and Luke were alerted that something was going on by the shrill, rapid beeping of Bo’s cardiac monitor.

 

“What’s goin’ on?” Luke asked, panic evident in his voice.

 

“His heart is racing.  It needs to slow down or he’ll go into cardiac arrest.  Something’s happening…Bo, can you hear me?  You have to calm down, honey.  You need to calm down, now.  Your heart can’t take this.  Bo, sweetie, listen to me.” Meghan spoke softly to Bo.  She had sat down on the edge of his bed and was stroking the side of the blond man’s face and his hair, trying to slow his racing heart.  Bo instinctively responded to her touch and his heart rate slowly returned to normal.  As the beeping of the monitor slowed down and returned to its normal pitch and rhythm, Luke let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.  He laid a shaky hand on his cousin’s head and said a brief prayer of thanks.

Meghan pulled a blood pressure cuff from the bedside table and wrapped it around Bo’s left arm.  She spent a few minutes checking his vital signs.  She lifted his eyelids and checked his pupils…a routine action she had done many times since Bo had been on her ward…this time, however, the petite brunette saw something that shocked her.  She gasped and turned to look at Luke.

 

“He responded!”  She said, excitedly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“His pupils…they responded to the light.  For the first time since I’ve been taking care of him, his eyes responded to light!  Luke, do you know what this means?”  Meghan had almost jumped off the bed in glee.

 

“Is he gettin’ better?” Luke asked, still a bit unnerved from Bo’s close call.

 

“Well, I don’t really know if he’s getting better…but he’s definitely starting to wake up!  That’s the most response he’s given us in six months.”  Meghan’s mind was reeling.  Would he wake up…could it finally be possible…or is this a cruel twist of fate to get everyone’s hopes up before he dies?  If he did wake up, would Bo be able to recognize his family? Would he be able to function…or would he spend the rest of his life in this place…with someone tending to him like a baby.   More importantly to Meghan…would she be able to tell Bo that she loved him and could that love ever be returned?

 

 

          Luke could barely believe what the nurse, whom he and his family had started to regard as a close friend, was saying. 

 

“Do you really mean it’s possible?   I mean…could he…he is!  I just know it…Bo, I knew you’d come out of this!”  Luke stood by his cousin’s bed and squeezed his hand.  The normally calm and collected man was almost jumping in his excitement.

 

“Now Luke, don’t get your hopes up…Bo’s still not out of the woods yet…” Meghan cautioned, her professional attitude taking over; but inside she was just as excited as Luke.

 

“I need to find Uncle Jesse and Daisy.” Luke said as he turned toward the door.  In his hurry, Luke almost barreled into the two people coming into Bo’s room.

 

“Hold up, boy.  Where are you headed in such an all-fired hurry?” said a familiar, tired and somewhat troubled voice.

 

Luke immediately stopped.  His uncle reached out and grasped both of Luke’s arms…almost as if to steady himself.  “What’s wrong…is it Bo?  Has something happened?” Jesse asked…fearing the worst.  Daisy rushed into the room without waiting to hear Luke’s reply to their uncle’s questions.

 

Luke broke into a smile…his crystal blue eyes sparking like they did before the accident.  “He’s waking up, Uncle Jesse…Meghan said so.  He’s gonna wake up and he’s gonna be fine!  I just know it…Bo’s too stubborn to let this beat him!” Luke said; his face set in conviction, as if his saying the words would make them come true.

 

 

          Jesse stared at his dark-haired nephew.  He wanted so badly to believe him, but the doctors seemed so sure this time that Bo was almost gone.  He held tightly to Luke and looked over to the little nurse that had taken such good care of Bo. 

“Miss Riley?  Is it true?  Is my boy finally wakin’ up?” The old man almost shook with emotion.

 

“Well, he responded a little when I checked him a few minutes ago.  Mr. Duke, Daisy,” she said, looking to each of them and almost bouncing in her glee, “…I really think Bo’s gonna wake up for us!  I agree with Luke…I just know he’s ready to come back to the real world!  He’s still in bad shape…don’t forget that…but, maybe he’ll at least open those pretty blue eyes of his and…”  She stopped her train of thought abruptly and blushed brightly.  She looked at the stunned and hopeful family, knowing that they noticed her embarrassment. “Um, I need to go get Dr. Shackelford...he’ll want to come check him.”  Meghan hastily left the room in search of Bo’s main physician.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 15

 

          Doctor Bob Shackelford was a middle-aged, balding man who had always depended on hard facts and medical science to carry him through; he didn’t hold much stock in miracles or such stuff.  After today’s visit with Bo and his family, the tall, thin doctor could not believe what he was seeing.  He had never had a patient in Bo Duke’s situation make such a miraculous turn around!  Comatose patients in critical condition just don’t start to wake up…if anything, they slip deeper into the coma before they finally die. There were absolutely no medical reasons why Bo should be doing what he was doing…all of the data from the past couple of days said the young man should be dead right now.  Maybe it was a miracle…he certainly didn’t have any explanations.

 

He shook his head as he remembered scoffing at Nurse Riley when she burst into his office yesterday, shouting that Bo Duke was responding to light stimuli.  He chalked her irrational behavior up to her unusually close bond with the patient and his family.  However, he had to revise his opinion when he examined the young man.  Bo was indeed beginning to show signs that he was coming out of his coma…after six months with no signs improvement.   The blond haired man was still in critical condition due to a severe case of pneumonia, but he was steadily coming back to consciousness and had made even more strides toward waking up completely…now he was starting to move a bit!  Perhaps he would make it through.  Dr. Shackelford hoped, for the family’s sake, that the young man would at least be able to know them and communicate with them in some way.  He still doubted that Bo would ever be close to normal after such a traumatic injury. He also worried about his best nurse.  He feared Nurse Riley’s attachment to the man and her irrational belief that he will greatly improve could end up in heartbreak and discouragement.  He sure would hate for that to happen…the hospital didn’t need to lose such a good nurse.  Dr. Shackelford sighed and began to write up Bo’s current condition in his notes.

*************************************************************

         

          Jesse Duke knew his prayers were being answered.  His “baby boy” was improving by leaps and bounds.  He fondly brushed his nephew’s blond hair back from his face and smiled.  “You’ll be back with us in a little while, son,” Jesse turned his eyes toward the IV pump holding the bag of what had been Bo’s ‘food’ for the past six months and sadly shook his head. “And when you get home, I’ll fix you the biggest dinner you’ve ever seen.  I know you’re bound to be gettin’ tired of that liquid stuff,” he said, glancing at the tubing that snaked from the pump and attached itself to Bo’s body somewhere beneath the hospital gown.  The tired old man rose from the bedside chair; pulled the watch from the pocket of his faded overalls, glanced at it and began to stretch.  He was going to spend the night alone with Bo.  Jesse had sent Daisy and Luke back to the farm to get some rest.  Luke argued, briefly, but the younger man was so tired that he was literally swaying on his feet.  Jesse smiled as he thought of his eldest nephew’s and niece’s devotion to their “little brother”.  Luke and Daisy had not missed a day coming to see their cousin since the accident and Luke had barely moved from the bedside since Bo had finally started improving.  Jesse paused in his musing as he saw movement outside Bo’s room.  It was Meghan Riley; passing by in the hallway, busy with her end of shift duties. He smiled and waved at her as she passed.

 

He chuckled, “We’re not the only one’s who want to see you get better, Bo.”  He knew that the petite, brunette nurse really cared about his nephew…and in more than a professional way.  He let his thoughts run as he walked around to the other side of Bo’s bed, tidying the room as he went.

“That girl would be good for you, son…real good.  I just feel it…you two would be a good match.  Maybe the Good Lord meant for you to meet.”  Jesse sighed and shook his head, “I just wish He’d had a little different way in mind…but who am I to question.  I’m just thankful He’s seein’ fit to bring you back to us.” The old man paused beside the bed, reached over and laid a weathered hand over Bo’s right hand and squeezed; a slight smile twinkling in his soft blue eyes. 

 

 

          Bo Duke had been able to understand more of what was going on around him for the last couple of days.  From what he had gathered from listening to his family and the doctors, he had been shot, in some sort of car accident and had… brain surgery!?!  ‘Dang, I didn’t realize it was that bad!  No wonder they all thought I was gonna kick out!  But I’ve got news for them…I ain’t in any hurry to leave.’  He was rather uncomfortable about the idea that he hadn’t moved in so long.  At least someone came around daily and moved his arms and legs and kept him turned from side to side to ‘keep him from becoming stiff’ (that’s what they told him, anyway).  He was so embarrassed about having to be tended to like a helpless infant!  ‘I’ve got to wake up…that’s all there is to it.’  He had also heard the voices of his family and Meghan urging him to wake up.  He wanted to see them all so badly…he loved them beyond belief.

 

  Bo still had trouble, at times, believing that this was reality.  ‘Had all those awful events been a dream?  Could I have really dreamed that I had lived out twenty miserable years while I was sick?  Or is this the dream?’  He didn’t really know, but what ever this was…it was what he wanted!  All his family was here and his sweet Meggie was here and he had a chance to let them all know how much he cared.   Gradually, Bo was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his Uncle Jesse’s soft, rumbling voice and gentle touch.

 

 

          Jesse continued to hold Bo’s hand while he read aloud to him from the Hazzard Gazette.  The fingers of Bo’s right hand twitched, ever so gently.  Jesse paused in his reading; the room silent except for the hissing and beeping of the machines.  They twitched again, this time stronger.  Jesse turned in his chair, grabbing Bo’s hand with both of his.

“Come on Bo, that’s it! Wake up for your Uncle Jesse, son!” Jesse urged, his eyes bright with excitement.

 

The heart monitor by Bo’s bedside began to beep louder and faster.  This caught the attention of Meghan, who was coming to say her goodbye’s for the evening.  She ran into the room to see if anything was wrong.  Jesse Duke looked up at her abrupt entrance and smiled.  “He’s movin’!” was all he said.  Meghan quickly went to Bo’s side.  She checked him over and determined that he was OK for the moment.

 

 ‘Professionalism be damned’ she thought, ‘I’m off duty!’

 She sat on the bed and began to stroke Bo’s hair…uncaring that Jesse was right beside them.  “Bo, Sweetie, wake up.  I want to see those pretty eyes of yours lookin’ back at me.  Please, Honey, wake up for us.  Your Uncle Jesse is here and he loves you so much.  I…I love you too…” she said, haltingly.   Meghan paused and tried to calm her own racing heart.  She ran her hand through her hair, “I know you don’t even know who in the world I am…I don’t even understand it myself…but I do love you.  Please wake up and give me the chance to know the real Beauregard Duke.” She whispered the last bit as she leaned over and gently placed a sweet kiss at the corner of Bo’s mouth.

         

          Bo’s brain seemed to explode.  He felt too many sensations at once.  It appeared that Meghan’s kiss had broken down the last barriers that were keeping him from regaining full consciousness.  He could feel the gentleness of Meghan’s lips, her soft hair brushing across his face; he could even smell the shampoo she had used early that morning.  Unfortunately, he could also feel the harsh scratching of the breathing tube down his throat, the aching of his muscles and the pain in his lungs from the pneumonia.  Bo gasped as best he could with the tube down his throat and struggled to open his eyes.  He finally won the battle and his eyes sprang open.  He briefly caught a fuzzy glimpse of Meghan’s face before the stress of the moment caught up with him.  He felt his chest seize and heard the tell-tale sound of the cardiac monitor going flat-line. “NO! Not now! Please God, don’t let me d…” Bo prayed frantically before he sank into darkness again.

 

Meghan’s face froze in a mask of horror.  Her brief joy at seeing Bo open his eyes was quickly replaced by heart-wrenching fear that she would lose the man she had grown to love so deeply.

 

“No you don’t!  You’re not gonna leave me now, Bo!” she yelled; her fear quickly turning to anger.

 

 Meghan became a whirlwind of motion.  She let the head of Bo’s bed down and climbed into the bed.  The petite nurse straddled the tall, blond man and furiously began CPR.  She instructed Jesse to go into the hall and get help.  After what seemed an eternity, two nurses and a doctor burst into the room with a crash cart.  Jesse looked on from the doorway, his brow creased with worry.  The doctor had to pull Meghan away from Bo’s chest in order for the others to start work.  She was sobbing and collapsed into a nearby chair; watching as her colleagues worked diligently to revive Bo.  Finally, after being defibrillated twice, Bo regained a steady pulse and was stabilized.  Jesse and Meghan had moved to the hall and were both trying to comfort each other. They nearly didn’t hear the doctor tell them the good news:  not only had Bo been revived, but he had completely awakened from the coma!  

 

          Meghan and Jesse slowly walked over to Bo’s bed.  They each had to touch him to see if he was really still with them.  Bo opened his eyes in response and the two were almost overwhelmed with gratitude and joy.  “He’s back.  He knows me, I know he does!  You can’t forget your old Uncle Jesse, can you, boy?” Jesse said while wiping tears with his free hand.  Both he and Meghan hadn’t stopped grinning since Bo looked at them.  Meghan thought he seemed to recognize her!  But how?  He had never seen her…didn’t even know her.  Maybe he did recognize her voice…but…Oh well, who cares?  She loved seeing him looking back at her.  She would just enjoy whatever she could get right now.  She couldn’t keep from telling Bo that she loved him when Jesse briefly left the bedside to phone Luke and Daisy to tell them the great news.

 

 

Bo had slowly opened his eyes when he felt Meghan and Jesse’s hands on his skin.  His senses were all still fresh and almost raw.  Everything seemed too loud or…just too much.  His vision was fuzzy and the dim lights were almost too bright for him, but he still recognized the bearded face that hovered above his!  ‘Uncle Jesse!’ The small woman with the halo of brown hair and that sweet voice just had to be…‘Meghan!’  His vision might have been fuzzy, be he heard perfectly when his sweet Meggie told him that she loved him.  “I love you, too” he desperately tried to tell her with his eyes. Bo closed his eyes briefly, his eyes tearing from recent lack of use and emotion. ‘I’m back!  Thank You, Lord!  Thank You for givin’ me another chance!’

 

 

Bo listened to Meghan and Jesse for a long while, trying to convey his feelings through his gaze.  He wished he could talk back to them, but the breathing tube prevented speech and he really felt too weak to talk anyway.  He was able to slightly squeeze Jesse’s hand and move his fingers and toes in response to Meghan’s prompting.  Soon, however, Bo was completely tuckered out.  He fell into a deep, healing sleep.  Jesse was alarmed at first when Bo fell asleep, but Meghan assured him that Bo needed the rest.

“You’d think six months of sleepin’ would be enough rest for anybody…but I guess it’s a different kind of sleep.  At least this time he’ll wake up in the morning, Lord willin’.” Jesse said as he stretched and settled into the visitor’s cot next to Bo’s bed.  He told Bo and the young nurse ‘goodnight’ before he rolled over on his back, cap over his eyes, to sleep for the night.

 

 

Meghan knew that all the Dukes knew of her feelings for Bo, so she no longer made any attempt to hide them.  She tiptoed over to the side of the bed and brushed the wheat colored hair from Bo’s forehead.  She placed a soft kiss above his eyebrow. “Goodnight, Sweetie.  I’ll see you in the mornin’,” she whispered before she left the room, turning out the light as she left.  As she walked out into the parking lot after this long, emotional roller-coaster of a night, Meghan smiled.  Her heart felt lighter than it had in months.  Bo was going to be fine…she just had a gut feeling about the good-looking blond; and maybe…just maybe…everything was going to turn out fine for her as well. 

“Lord willin’,” she said looking up to the star filled Georgia sky.  She unlocked her white Camero and headed out toward her apartment; her mind full of thoughts about a future that definitely included a certain young man named Duke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 16

 

 

          It seemed that once the young Duke had awakened, his body went into overdrive trying to recover and get back to normal.  Dr. Shackelford was in shock and called the blond haired young man a medical miracle because he seemed to have no lasting effects from his injuries or the long coma!  Uncle Jesse and the rest of the family chalked Bo’s recovery up to faith in the Good Lord, the power of prayer and simple “Duke Determination”. The days since Bo had awakened had been the best the Duke family had seen for quite a while.  The good news had traveled fast around the small community of Hazzard.  The hospital and the Duke farm were flooded with calls and visits from folks who were happy to hear about Bo’s awakening.

 

The next several days were both wonderful and hellacious for Bo.  He was awake (finally!) and grateful to be alive after Luke and Jesse had told him the extent of his injuries.  Upon hearing of his improvement, droves of visitors had been coming by to see Bo.  Much to his visitors…and his own surprise, the youngest Duke looked drastically different!  His hair had grown back in and then some!  Several weeks with little taming had encouraged the naturally unruly blond locks to curl wildly around Bo’s head and fall into his eyes.  His beard had also gone unshaven since his bout with pneumonia had caused the breathing tube to be replaced.  True to his nature, Bo had stubbornly refused to let anyone shave him until he could do it himself or to cut his hair till he was ready to go home.  His muscular frame was now thinner and he needed to be “fattened up”, according to Uncle Jesse and Daisy. His handsome face was almost gaunt beneath the fierce growth of beard.  The dashing young man everyone knew now looked more like a cross between a scarecrow and a mountain hermit!  However, his expressive eyes and flashing smile let everyone know the “old Bo” was still there; just below the surface.

He had his family and friends around him and enjoyed their company; but he had never been in such pain and discomfort in his life.  Medical staff poked and prodded him; trying to figure out why he wasn’t dead.  Physical therapists stretched his unused muscles until he thought he would scream.  The pneumonia was clearing up and the breathing tube had been removed; but, much to Bo’s and everyone else’s dismay, he still couldn’t talk enough to make himself understood. In fact, it took a while before his body and brain could even remember how to make words!  After a little time and a few sessions with speech therapists, Bo could finally talk, a little.  He could barely speak above a whisper and when he did, his voiced squeaked like when he was fourteen and then would disappear altogether at any time.  The doctor and the therapists said his voice would return to normal once the damage to his vocal cords, caused by the breathing tube, healed…until then he just had to squeak or nothin’! Bo’s muscle strength and coordination were improving daily, but he still couldn’t hold a pencil well enough to write where anyone could read it.  Try as he did to keep from it, Bo began to feel very distressed.  The only bright spots were the daily visits from his family and Meghan.

 

A couple of weeks after his miraculous awakening, Bo became so frustrated that he wanted to scream.  He wanted to communicate with everyone so badly! He tried to speak but couldn’t get all the words out before his voice would fail him.  Worst of all, no one seemed to be able to figure out why Bo was so upset.  As a result, he got so aggravated at times that he would hit the mattress or the wall next to his bed.  Luke finally noticed Bo’s frustration and brought him a gift from the hospital gift-shop…one of those magnetic write-and-erase things like they used to play with when they were kids!  Bo laughed…a whispery, cracked sound…when Luke gave the toy to him, but he soon thought of it as a treasured possession.  He practiced using the little plastic “pen” and soon surprised Luke with a messily scrawled note that simply read “Hi, Cuz”.  Bo was grinning with delight.  He could finally “talk” to his family and friends after so many days of one-sided conversations and one or two word sentences.  Bo was soon writing away; slowly at first because his body was getting used to coordinated movements again, but soon his scrawling handwriting was filling up the page almost as fast as he could think of the words. Luke, Daisy and Jesse were hard pressed to read what Bo would write before he tried to lift the magnetic sheet to erase one thought and start another.

 Later that night, Daisy laughed and told her blond cousin, “Sugar, I think I’m gonna go get you a dozen pens and a bushel of paper!  That little thing you’re writin’ on now won’t survive another day with the way you’re goin’.”

 

“I guess you’ve just been quiet for too long, ain’tcha little cuz?  I thought you were gonna blow up before I brought that thing in.” Luke said as he fondly ruffled Bo’s hair.

 

Bo scowled briefly and made a face…a familiar reaction that Luke was afraid he would never see again.  Jesse also smiled as he watched his two nephews behave as they had for years.  The old man sent up a silent prayer of thanks for his youngest nephew’s return to health and for the restoration of the friendship between his two nephews.

 

Bo smoothed his hair and soon was grinning widely as he showed Luke his written reaction.  “Cute, Lukas, real cute.”

 

The four Dukes laughed and hugged each other as they realized that life as they knew it would soon return to normal.

 

 

Bo was happy to be able to let them all know how glad he was to be alive and that he remembered everything except the accident that put him in the position he was in.  He remembered his life up till the ill-fated car chase and then everything else he remembered was supposedly just a dream.  In fact, Bo still remembered the events of the twenty or so years he spent in his “dream life” so clearly…he still wasn’t sure it was all just a dream.  One thing really bothered him…How did he know about Meghan if he had never met her before?  He had talked to Luke and after a baffled few hours; Luke came up with a logical answer.  While in the coma, Luke figured that Bo heard Meghan’s voice and pieces of conversations and somehow formed them into his dream.  It seemed logical…but Bo was still unsure.  He decided that would talk to his cousin again…Luke would be able to help him sort it all out; either that or he would have him committed to the psych ward!  Bo laughed to himself.  He looked up from his thoughts to find his favorite nurse standing in the doorway…smiling at him.  Meghan seemed happy, but shy since Bo had awakened.  She had not been in as much…saying she wanted to give him more time with his family and the therapists.  As a result, Bo looked forward to every brief encounter they had shared in the last few days; even though he didn’t really know what to say to her without seeming weird.  What would he say to her?  “Hi, Meggie.  You don’t know this, but I’ve been in love with you most of my life.  You liked me too, but I was too chicken to talk to you. Then you got engaged to Luke and later you told me you loved me and after that you died. Then I find out it was just a dream, anyway, and that I’ve been in a coma for six months and haven’t really even got to know you yet.”  Yeah, right.  Tell her that and you’ll really be headed for the psych ward!’

 

Bo shook his head and chuckled.  He took a deep breath and silently thanked God for the second chance he had been given. He would recover…he had no doubt about that...and he would treasure every moment of this life. Bo knew he would always remember his other “life” and he hoped he learned his lessons well. Whether what he remembered was just a coma-induced dream or if somehow reality had actually been altered, he knew he could no longer take the love of and for his family and Meghan for granted.

 Meghan had tried to remain professional and down to business, but Bo could see the emotion in her eyes.  He hoped she could see the same in his.  The pretty, brunette nurse stepped just beyond the doorway of Bo’s room. She toyed with her ink-pen, gave him that crooked smile that he found so irresistible and asked to come in and visit for awhile, since her shift had ended.  Bo watched her nervous fidgeting and thought she became more beautiful each time he saw her.  He vowed he would not let her slip away from him again…or would it be the first time?  ‘Who cares…I’m gonna give it a shot.’  Bo smiled widely at Meghan and beckoned her to come in.  He settled himself into a more comfortable position…sitting up in bed, leaning back against the pillows. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and rubbed his hand over his bearded chin, silently wishing for a razor and a comb.  He cleared his throat and grabbed the new writing pad and pen Daisy had brought him…just in case his voice decided not to cooperate.  Meghan quickly closed the distance between them.  She reached out and gently brushed the hair from his eyes…her hand lingering on his cheek.  Bo felt his skin tingle and swore he could feel her pulse quicken as well from the simple touch.  He remembered her touch so well…he would always remember…he shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked up into Meghan’s emerald eyes. She gave him a soft, sweet smile and sat near him, on the edge of the bed.  Bo flushed slightly and gave her a mega-watt grin as he reached out to cover her hand with his.  He took a deep breath and prepared for a long evening…after all…they had nearly twenty years to catch up on and he had some serious flirting to do!