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,
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…
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
*************************************************************
Two hours later,
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 “
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
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
The young men raced toward
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
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 somebody… please!” 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
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
“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
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. </