Author's note: This story is for Hazzard66. This was her idea. It's a re-write of Undercover Dukes. You really have to watch this episode before reading this because it jumps from the start of the episode to the end. It starts off at the part where Daisy finds out the boys have changed their minds about going to the NASCAR through to when they leave the farm. It then jumps to the end where the race has started. Everything in between pretty much happens the way it did in the show. Daisy is a little more angrier than she was in the show so she may seem a little out of character. Hope y'all enjoy it!
(Italics are CB talk or dialogue direct from the show.)
Warning: Unbeta-ed
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dukes or any other characters. They belong to Warner Bros.
Undercover Dukes
"Well when you boys get ready to talk about whatever it is you don't want to talk about, I'm ready to talk it over. In the mean time I'm going to enjoy my cooking." Jesse didn't like the look on the boys faces.
"Hey everybody! I'm home!" Daisy called out once she came through the door.
"Hey Daisy!"
"Hi!"
"Hey Daisy." "Hey Daisy." The boys were feeling too guilty to return the enthusiastic greeting of Daisy.
"Sorry I'm so late but Boss had me counting all the dang glasses." Daisy looked at her cousins. "What are y'all looking so glum about? Did you tell Uncle Jesse about the offer you turned down to drive on the NASCAR circuit?" Jesse looked up. He didn't like the sound of that and he had a feeling this was why the boys were acting so strange since they got back to the farm.
"Daisy..." Luke tried to stop her from saying any more but she was too proud of her cousins to stop.
"I'm so proud of you I could just bust." Daisy laughed, "And you know what, Bo? When that girl started batting her lashes at you I thought it was all over, didn't you?" Daisy asked Luke. "I thought that was...that was it..."
Bo couldn't get a word in edgewise, his cousin was so happy. Daisy finally noticed that something was wrong with her cousins.
"Didn't you tell Uncle Jesse?" Jesse was starting to get worried now. He shook his head while both the boys replied softly, "No."
Daisy stood back up, "Why?"
"Changed our minds." Luke told her straight up.
Bo, however, was trying to find a way to make their decision easier on his cousin and uncle. "Um...yeah...ah y'all have any idea how much money there is in driving a NASCAR...well...we, we..." Luke nudged him to shut up, knowing it wasn't helping, "...could buy another farm." Bo trailed off, feeling even worse now.
Daisy walked away from them slowly towards her uncle. She turned to the boys, looking very disappointed, "I don't believe what I'm hearing."
"Daisy, if the boys want to go back to the NASCAR circuit, they should go with our blessing." Jesse would always support his boys in all their decisions but he wasn't going to force his niece to do the same.
"Well, I ain't blessing them for going back on their word and breaking up this family. Y'all better tell me this is a joke."
"It's no joke, Daisy." Luke answered. None of them could look at her.
"We ain't gonna be gone forever, Daisy." Daisy ran out the door, too upset to even look at them any more. "We're coming back!" Bo called after her.
"There's more to it than that..." Luke got up and threw down his napkin to go after her. "Excuse me, Uncle Jesse." Bo quickly got up and followed.
"Hey look. We understand how you feel."
"No you don't or you wouldn't be leavin'. How do you think Uncle Jesse's gonna feel, come Saturday and everybody's wishing him Happy Birthday, except the two people he loves more than any thing in this world." Tears were forming in her eyes caused by the anger and disappointment she is feeling towards her cousins.
Bo couldn't take much guilt heaped on him, "Daisy..."
Daisy would let him explain, "And what about harvesting time is coming up? How do you expect a man his age to do it all by himself, huh?"
"Someday, you're going to know how it is with Luke and me and that..."
"Yeah, well I already know how I feel right now." Daisy slaps Bo hard across the face. "How can you be so selfish? All y'all is thinkin' about is yourself! We let you live out your dreams once already and when you came back y'all told us that you were done with NASCAR!" Daisy shook her head at Bo and then looked between them. "I hate you and if you leave here, don't you ever come back." Daisy was so upset that she wanted her cousin's to hurt as much as she was hurting right then and there. She turned around and stomped away. Luke tried to stop her but was rewarded with an elbow in the ribs.
The boys leaned on the trunk of their car feeling like the low-life polecats their cousin thought they were. Bo rub his cheek where Daisy had struck him while Luke was rubbing his ribs. "Well, guess we better go tell Mary-Beth Carver she's got herself a couple of drivers."
"Yeah, Judas and his cousin." Luke grumbled before getting in the driver's side of the General. Bo stood there a little longer and looked back to the house. He knew what they were doing was the right thing to do, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty about leaving the farm. He and Luke would just have to get this job over and done with so that they could tell Daisy the truth. He slipped into the General without his usual enthusiasm and slapped the dashboard in frustration.
Luke looked over at his cousin. He could tell Bo was feeling really bad over what had just happened. "Don't worry about it, Bo. Once this is over we'll explain it all to Daisy. She'll understand once she know the truth."
"I know." Bo sighed. "I just don't like leaving with all this between us." Bo looked at Luke worriedly, "You don't think she really hates us, do ya?"
Luke smiled at his cousin. Bo disliked any kind of tension within the family. He was always joking around on the farm and making everyone laugh. Bo made it his mission in life to keep his family happy. He didn't know who was more upset, Daisy, because of them leaving the farm or Bo, because of the words Daisy had just thrown at them. "Of course she doesn't hate us. She's just angry."
"Tell me about it." Bo rubbed his face again. "I can still feel that anger right here. How about you?"
Luke grimace as he massaged the area he was elbowed. "Nothing that won't heal."
Bo looked out the window. It wasn't so much as the slap that had hurt, it was guilt he was feeling. "You really think we can do this, Luke. I mean, two FBI agents tried and got killed. I ain't afraid of dying but I hate to think of how Daisy and Jesse would be feeling if anything happened to us. Daisy would never forgive herself and Uncle Jesse would..." Bo couldn't finish that sentence and kept looking out his window so that Luke couldn't the tears in his eyes.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Bo." Luke put a hand on Bo's shoulder.
Bo didn't turn around, but he did smile. "I know that. Just promise me you won't let anything happen to yourself either." Bo turned to his cousin then and Luke could see that this was going to be harder on his cousin than he thought it would.
"I'll do what I can." Luke knew he couldn't make a promise he couldn't be sure he could keep. Bo nodded. He'll take what he could get at the moment. They drove the rest of the way in silence.
When it was time to leave the house, Bo and Luke were feeling even worse than they already did. They could hear Jesse knocking on Daisy's door when they came out of their room with their bags packed.
"Daisy? Ah...Daisy?"
"What is it, Uncle Jesse?" Came Daisy's voice from behind the door. They could tell that she had been crying.
"Ah, boys are ready to leave now. Come on out and say good-bye." Jesse knew it was no use but he had to try for the boys' sakes.
"I ain't coming out until those turkeys are gone and Uncle Jesse, don't you ask me to change my mind 'cause I ain't gonna. I never want to see them again. As far as I'm concerned, the only cousins I have don't live on this farm." Jesse was feeling bad for his boys but he understood why his niece was so upset. He gave the boys a smiled as he walked over to them.
"She don't really mean that. Don't be too hard on her."
"Job offers like this don't just come up everyday." Bo tried to make their decision easier on his uncle.
"We'll be back." Luke assured Jesse.
"Yeah, you will. And, ah, remember that ah...you've always got a home here if you need it."
Luke gave his uncle a small smiled and hugged him. "Bye, Luke." Jesse was losing his composure.
"Yeah." Luke wasn't that much better off.
It was Bo's turn. Jesse hugged his youngest. "Bo baby," something he hadn't called Bo by since he was a boy, "You be good."
"Yes Sir." Bo could barely get the words out as he hugged his uncle as tight as he could. He let go and they picked up their bags to leave.
"You have a good birthday too, now." Luke told his uncle.
"Yeah, I will." Though he knew it would never be the same without his boys.
"Say good-bye to Daisy." Bo said before leaving. "Tell her we love her."
"Yeah." Jesse stood there looking out the door. His boys were leaving again and he wasn't sure when they'll be coming back. He prayed that they would, otherwise they would never be able to make their peace with their cousin. Jesse had always loved the way his kids always looked out for each other. He didn't want that to change.
At the NASCAR circuit.
Daisy and Jesse arrived at the Carver pit stop. Daisy didn't want to come however, it was Jesse's birthday and if seeing the boys was what he wanted she wasn't going to deny her uncle what he wanted.
Mary-Beth was surprised to see Daisy and Jesse. She was under the impression that they weren't happy with the boys decision to drive for her, but she was glad they were here because that meant Bo would be happy. Jesse was happy to know that Bo was driving her car and safe but he couldn't see Luke anywhere and when he was told that Luke had been gone an awful long time, he started to believe that Luke really was in some kind of trouble. Daisy was even starting to get over her anger at the boys and worry about her cousins.
Bo drove in for his pit stop. He was surprised when he saw that Jesse and Daisy were standing there with the pit crew. He didn't know how much he missed them until that moment. "Hey, Uncle Jesse, Daisy. Boy, am I glad to see y'all."
"We were worried about you." Daisy told him. She wouldn't have admitted it but she really had been worried about them, but her anger wouldn't let her admit it. Now, seeing Bo again. She couldn't stay angry.
Bo smiled, he was so happy to know that his cousin wasn't angry at him any more. "Thank you. Listen, y'all seen Luke?"
"No, nobody's seen him. Is he in some kind of trouble?" Jesse wanted some answers now.
"Well, I don't know. Didn't he talk to you on the phone?" Now Bo was worried as well. Luke should've been back by now. "He was gonna wish you a happy birthday." Jesse could see that his youngest was starting to panic.
"Something's gotta be wrong, Uncle Jesse. I just know it!" Daisy was going to go out of her mind.
"Wait a minute, we should-" Bo was interrupted by the sound of a car losing control. They watched in horror as the car flipped over, but that gave Bo the distraction he needed. He jumped out of the race car and lead Jesse and Daisy to an area where they could talk. "Listen, y'all follow me. I got an idea." He walked past his engineer, "Herky, we'll be right back." Herky was confused but he didn't even get a chance to ask what was wrong. Bo was already out of sight.
Bo took Daisy by the shoulder, "I don't know if this will work, but I want you to go out there and win the race." Daisy looked at Bo as if he was out of his mind, but Bo just continued, "Put on that suit and I'm gonna go to the Carver house and make sure Luke's all right."
"All right." Daisy was confused but Luke needed Bo right now, so she would do as she was told.
"You're gonna need my helmet." Bo handed his helmet to Daisy and Jesse came over to get Daisy ready.
It's a good thing that Bo didn't know about the hit J.J. Carver had ordered on Bo otherwise he would be torn between his two cousins. He couldn't even contemplate life without Luke but it was in his and Luke's DNA to always protect Daisy.
Jesse helped to provide a distraction by knocking the tyres on top of Mary-Beth's bodyguard, Jo Jo and when all the attention was on him Daisy climbed into the race car and continued the race in Bo's place.
Bo got changed into civilian clothing and put on a cap and sunglasses, hoping no-one would recognise him as he walked out of the racing arena. Once he got Dixie far from the race track he got changed out of the white skivvy he had borrowed and changed into his trademark yellow shirt. He was listening to the radio so that he knew how Daisy was doing, but the truth was he wasn't even paying attention. He was too concerned for Luke right now to worry about anything else. Luke had to be in trouble if he hadn't checked in with anyone.
When Bo came up to the house he skidded to a stop. He heard a dog bark and looked inside to find Flash. Bo was confused but there was no time to think about why Flash was in a strange car in Capital City at the Carver house. He checked to see if anyone was watching before climbing over the fence. He sneaked pass the guards and passed the windows where he could see the meeting between Carver and his associates going on. He moved on, not really caring about what they were talking about. He left that window and ran up to the small house next to it. He looked in the window and was relieved when he saw his cousin alive, tied up, but alive. Luke looked up and was surprised to see Bo at the window. Bo was gesturing him to open the door or something along those lines. Luke nodded that he understood.
"Excuse me, you think we could get a little air in here?" Luke asked their guard.
"Sure." The man said to Luke's surprise, he was actually quite nice. Too bad he was working for a heartless criminal.
"Much obliged." Luke replied with his southern hospitality. He watched as the man opened the top half of the door and looked outside to see if anyone was there and then turned back around when he saw nothing.
Bo came out from the side and tapped the man on the soldier. Luke shook his head at Bo's cheeky grin. "Howdy!" He said before punching him out. Bo opened the bottom of the door and ran in.
"What are y'all doing here? You're suppose to be racing."
"yeah, I know it, I know it." Bo said as he took out his pocket knife and proceeded to cut off Luke's bonds.
"I thought you was dead." Rosco said, confused. Bo cut Rosco's and Boss's bonds as well before using the ropes help Luke tie up the man he had knocked out.
Bo was confused when he thought about what Rosco had said. "What you mean, you thought I was dead." Bo was really starting to think Rosco had a peanut for his brain.
"Well, he means Carver ordered Jo Jo to kill ya at the end of that race." Luke explained.
Bo paled then. "What?" Bo doubled his pace.
"That's what he said." Luke grunted as he tied the man's ankles together.
"We gotta get back there. Daisy's driving the car." Bo was really starting to panic now, he couldn't seem to tie the ropes fast enough. He needed to get back to race track right now!
Luke looked at Bo's face. "Can you handle Jo Jo by yourself?" Luke didn't want to send Bo back alone but he needed to stay here and ensure that Carver got arrested for everything he did. He already had the photos, he just needed to wait for the FBI.
"Yeah, I think so." Bo answered him.
"If you do that, I'll get Walden out of here. See if we can wrap up this whole mess." Luke told him
"All right." Bo got up and ran out the door.
"Let's get out of here." Luke was just as anxious as Bo to get back to Daisy.
"Rosco, you and me will go with Luke." Boss Hogg was talking way to loudly for Bo and Luke's likings. They turned back around to shush him, but he only toned it down a little. "'Cause after what that no-good Carver did to us, I wanna help even things up."
"Well, three of us against one of them, that's even." Rosco liked those odds.
Bo was getting frustrated now. He needed to get back to the NASCAR race track. "Would you be quiet. We gotta hurry!"
Luke could see that Bo was getting worked up and he didn't want his cousin driving over there in the condition he was in. "Take it easy, Bo, that race ain't over for a while, yet. Be careful," he told them, "there's guards all over." They headed over to the fence. Luke, Bo and Rosco were over the fence in no time but Boss was another story. They were trying to help him over and Bo was taking the brunt of his weight on his back. If they didn't get him off soon, Bo wouldn't be in any condition to even drive let alone stop Jo Jo. "Bo, take the General and get out of here." Luke ordered his cousin and he helped Boss Hogg stand. Bo was glad to. Grabbing his back he ran over to the General. He climbed in and raced off to save his cousin from a fate meant for him.
Luke, Rosco and Boss escaped in the Dixie. The guards were all onto them now and if they did catch up to them, they were not going to leave any witnesses. Bo and Luke split up at the end of the road and one car followed Bo while the other chased Luke. Bo looked into his side mirror and saw the yellow car coming up next to him. He wasn't worried. Bo knew he needed to get to Daisy and there was no way two of Carver's goon were going to catch him in the General. "This one's gonna be for Daisy." He said as he forced the car off the side of the road, sending it flipping in the air. Luke had pretty much given his guys the same treatment. Of course, Luke had taught Bo how to drive, so they were bound to have the same moves. Luke stopped the car when he saw Agent Waldon come up to him. He told Waldon what was happening at the house and then CB'ed Bo and told him what was happening.
"Yeah, that's a big 10-4, Luke." Bo took General for all he got, all the way back to the race track. There was no way he was going to let Daisy take a bullet meant for him after all he and Luke had to do these past few days.
Meanwhile on the track, Daisy was finally getting the hang of driving the race car and was coming into first place. The checkered flag waved as Daisy came in first. They all still believed it was Bo driving. Jo Jo had been watching the race carefully and now that the car was into the pit-stop, he was getting ready to make his move. He reached in his jacket for his gun, just as Bo came flying in in the General Lee. Bo climbed out of the car and headed straight for Jo Jo. He used a man's shoulder as leverage to catapult himself over the tyres and straight into Jo Jo, sending them both into another pile of tyres. Jo Jo dropped his gun. Bo pulled Jo Jo up and punched him across the face with his right hand and then again with his left and then one more time with his right, sending him into the ground. Jo Jo laid there unmoving and Bo thought his job was done. What he didn't know was that Jo Jo was not unconscious, just winded and Bo had sent him within reach of his gun. Jo Jo smiled at his luck and grabbed the gun. He got up and turned around. Without any warning he shot two bullets into Bo; one in the chest and the other one in the abdomen. Bo was forced backwards as the the bullets made their impact. He looked at Jo Jo in shock before hitting the ground on his back.
Everyone in the pit crew stopped their celebrations when they heard the gun shot. Daisy took off her helmet and headed in that direction. Jesse followed right behind her. Mary-Beth and the crew didn't know what shocked them more, the gun shot or the fact that it wasn't Bo behind the wheel of her car.
As Daisy walked to where the crowd was gathering she was telling herself that her cousin wasn't here, it couldn't be any of them. She was shaking as she passed two FBI agents who had Jo Jo in handcuffs. She didn't know what was going on but she didn't care. She just needed to know that the gunshots were just gunshots and that they hadn't hit anyone, especially not anyone she cared about. She could see someone looking at the ground in front of them and she saw that someone was lying on the floor. She couldn't see anything but the boots. Suddenly she lost her composure and pushed herself through the people. Daisy knew that the sight that greeted would be something she would never forget for the rest of her life. There in front of her was her baby cousin. His shirt was soaked with his blood. His eyes were still open but she could tell her cousin wasn't aware of what was happening around him. His hand was on the wound on his abdomen in a weak attempt to stem the blood-flow.
Jesse finally made his way through the crowd, "Daisy, what's..." Jesse stopped when he saw his nephew on the ground, losing too much blood. Unlike Daisy, he sprung into action. "Did anyone call an ambulance!" He yelled as he knelt down beside Bo. He put pressure on the wound on his chest when he saw the other wound. "Daisy, I need you to put pressure on his stomach." Daisy was still in shock. "DAISY!" Daisy came to and looked at her uncle. "Put pressure on his wound." Jesse repeated. Daisy nodded and did as she was told. "Did anyone call an ambulance!" He asked again. He didn't need an answer, as sirens could be heard in the distance. Jesse looked down at his boy. "You hear that, Bo?" Jesse asked him. "Helps on the way. You hold on, ya hear me?"
Bo was finding it hard to breath. He looked at his uncle and for a moment, Jesse could see that Bo was aware. "That's it, Bo. Stay with me." Jesse could see that Bo was trying to say something, but he couldn't get the words out. "What is it, Bo?" Jesse asked.
"...sy." Bo whispered. Jesse frowned. He didn't know what Bo was trying to tell him. Bo took a painful breath and tried again. "Dai...sy, saa...fe." Bo said, much more clearer this time. Jesse looked at Daisy who was confused at why her cousin was worried about her safety. Jesse cocked his head to tell her to talk to Bo. Daisy nodded.
"I'm right here, Bo." Daisy told him. Bo tried to lift his head but he didn't have the strength. Daisy moved in as close as she could get without taking her hand off the bullet wound. She forced herself to smile as she came into Bo's line of sight. "I'm fine, Bo. You're the one we're worried about."
Bo smiled before letting the pain take him over. He tried not to scream as his mind was catching up with his body and finally registering what was happening to him. "aaaahhh!" Bo closed his eyes tight but he couldn't block out the pain. He was short breaths, long breaths only caused him more pain. He could tell that he was losing the battle with consciousness, but he had one more thing to say, "Tell...Lu...not...his...fault." then passed out. It was then the paramedics arrived.
"Move aside, move aside! Everybody, get out of our way!" The paramedics screamed at the crowd and then got down to business. "You're doing great, sir. Are you his father?"
"No, his uncle and legal guardian." Jesse answered. "You'll save him, right?"
The paramedic looked at his partner, who was checking Bo's vitals and placing an oxygen mask over Bo's mouth and nose. His partner shook his head, telling him that he couldn't make that promise. He had seen many gunshot wounds like this and the likelihood of this young man coming through was not very high. "We'll do what we can. What's his name?"
"Bo." Jesse answered, "Bo Duke."
The young paramedic nodded and looked at the lady who was trying to stop any more blood from coming out of Bo. He knew he had to be gentle with her. He put his hand on top of hers and put pressure on it. "Ma'am, you're doing a great job." He was holding a bandage. "When I tell you, I need you to remove your hand. Do you understand me, ma'am?" He was looking at her to make sure she understood. His partner was doing the same with Jesse. "Ready?" Daisy nodded. "Okay, now!" Daisy pulled away and stood up. The paramedic placed the bandage over the wound and taped it in place. The chest wound was also taped up and now they could move Bo into the ambulance. Jesse was hugging his niece who stood there motionless. He watched as they loaded Bo into the ambulance. "Sir, we can allow one of you to travel with us." The young man called out to him. Jesse wanted to go but he couldn't leave Daisy here by herself and he didn't want her to go in the ambulance by herself either.
"I'll drive Daisy to the hospital, Mr Duke." Mary-Beth told him from behind them. She was shocked at what Jo Jo had done. She didn't understand what was going on but she did know that Bo would want her to take care of his family. "You go with Bo. He needs you."
Jesse nodded, "Go with Mary-Beth, Daisy." Mary-Beth took her by the shoulders and nodded to Jesse. "Thank you." He said before climbing into the ambulance. They watched the ambulance drive away.
"Come on, Daisy. I'll drive you to the hospital in my car." Mary-Beth tried to lead her over to her car but Daisy stopped her.
"Can we take the General? Bo loves that car. He wouldn't want me to leave him here." Daisy told her. Mary-Beth could tell that Daisy was still in shock.
"Of course we can, honey." She led Daisy to where Bo had left the General. "We can call Luke on the CB as well."
Daisy gasped. "Luke. He doesn't know what's happening." She didn't want to be the one to tell Luke but she knew she had to. She climbed into the passenger side. Bo and Luke wouldn't want anyone outside the family to drive the General but she was in no condition to drive. Mary-Beth got into the driver's side and started the General. Daisy was about to call Luke when his voice came through the CB.
"Lost sheep two, this is Lost sheep one, you gotcha ears on? Come back."
Daisy looked at the CB. She didn't know what to say. Mary-Beth looked at her and was about to answer Luke when Daisy stopped her. Luke was her cousin, it was her responsibility to tell Luke what had just happened. Daisy picked up the CB with shaky hands.
"This is Bo peep," Daisy had to take a deep breath before she continued, "Luke, where are you?"
"I'm at the Carver house. The FBI are here and they've arrest J.J. Carver and his friends."
Mary-Beth stared at the CB as if it were a snake. It was clear to Daisy that she knew even less than Daisy did. "Luke, I'm in the General with Mary-Beth." There was silence on the other end and Daisy knew he was smacking himself for revealing that over the CB. Daisy watched Mary-Beth for a reaction, but she just continued driving.
"Ah...I'm sorry, Mary-Beth."
Mary-Beth took the CB from Daisy. "Luke Duke, you have more problems to worry about right now than me. I'm driving Daisy to Mercy General Hospital and you should meet us there. And Luke, you better have a good explanation for why you're at my daddy's house and what the FBI are doing there." She handed the CB back to Daisy.
"Daisy, you still there?" Daisy could tell Luke was now very worried.
"I'm here, Luke. Listen Luke, I know you want to know what's going on but I can't explain it over the CB. Would you just meet me at the hospital, please?" Daisy was on the verge of crying and she knew her cousin could hear it.
"Okay, I'll see you there. I'm gone."
The girls drove the rest of the way in silence. Daisy worrying about Bo and Mary-Beth confused over what was going on.
Luke was about to get into Dixie when Waldon came up to him. Luke could tell by the look on his face that he was about to receive bad news. "I just got news from the boys who arrested Jo Jo at the track." Waldon hesitated and looked at his feet. "They didn't get there in time. He got off two shots before they could bring him down."
"Two shots?" Luke didn't want to know what that meant.
"I'm sorry, Luke, but Bo's been shot. They've taken him to..."
"Mercy General Hospital." Luke whispered. He was trying to take in what he was just told.
Waldon was confused, "How did you know?"
"Daisy just told me. I have to go." Luke shook himself out of his shock and jumped in the car. Before he started off he looked at Waldon, "Mary-Beth is going to be at the hospital. The FBI better be there and explain it all to her. I can't do it. I've done what you wanted, you handle the rest." Luke drove off without waiting for a reply. Waldon knew Luke was right. It was his job to tell Carver's daughter what's been happening. Luke and Bo had already paid too high a price for bringing down Carver and his associates.
Luke arrived at the hospital and saw Jesse sitting with Daisy in the waiting room. Luke walked up to them, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the blood on their clothes. They had washed their hands of Bo's blood but there was nothing they could do about their clothes. There was too much blood.. Too much, nobody could survive losing that much blood. Jesse looked up when he saw that Luke had frozen in his place and staring at them. Jesse looked down at his clothes. "He's still in surgery." Jesse told him. Daisy looked up at him.
"You want to tell us what the heck is going on?" Daisy asked him. "I saw an FBI agent come in and take Mary-Beth away. What did you and Bo get yourselves into?"
"Daisy, calm down. Let Luke sit down first." Jesse nodded at the seat next to Daisy. Luke sat down.
"The FBI approached us when they found out Mary-Beth wanted us to drive for her." Luke told them. "They've been trying to get her father for espionage, corruption and murder amongst other things, but they couldn't gather enough evidence."
Daisy put her hand to her mouth when she heard this. "The two of you took that job to get close to J.J. Carver?"
"Yes and everything was going fine until I got caught by that big monkey, Jo Jo." Luke was angry at himself. This wouldn't have happened if he was more careful. "Carver ordered Jo Jo to kill Bo after the race, but he didn't know that you were driving instead of Bo. We were so worried about you, Daisy. Bo race back to stop him." Luke couldn't look at his cousin and uncle. Daisy now understood why Bo was asking about her safety when he was lying there bleeding. "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I convinced Bo to help the FBI. I got myself caught and blew our cover. I shouldn't have let Bo go back to the track alone." Luke put his head in his hand, he wanted to cry but he didn't want them worrying about him as well. Jesse got up and sat down next to his boy.
"This ain't your fault. Bo knew what he was getting into. Bo wants to do the right thing as much as you do and as for Bo getting shot, that blame falls to Carver and Jo Jo. You did what you thought was right. No one can fault you for that." Jesse put a hand on Luke's back.
"Uncle Jesse's right, Luke and if Bo was here he would tell you the same thing." Daisy told him. She knew it was true because Bo had told them that himself. Daisy smiled as she remembered everything Bo had said when he was lying on the ground. Even with two bullet wounds Bo was still trying to take care of his family. "He told us to tell you something before he passed out." Luke looked at her. "He said to tell you that it wasn't your fault." Luke gave a short chuckle. Of course that was what Bo would tell him, but that didn't stop him from blaming himself.
"On our way to telling Mary-Beth that we would drive for her, Bo started worrying about what we were about to do. He knew that it was dangerous and that we could get ourselves killed, leaving y'all alone. I told him I wouldn't let anything happen to him." Luke shook his head, "I lied."
"No! You didn't." Jesse told him. He turned Luke to face him. "When you told him that, you meant it and Bo knew you meant it. He knows that if you could, you would take his place in a heart beat. That's why he tried to make sure your wouldn't blame yourself. It was his wish that you don't blame yourself. Are you going to deny him that?" Jesse asked him. Luke just thought that his uncle wasn't playing fair. He was using Bo's last words to make him let go of his guilt. He decided that he would keep his guilt at bay until the doctor came out with news on Bo. Luke shook his head in answer to Jesse's question, "For now." Luke added. Jesse would take what he was given.
Daisy was glad that Luke was letting go of his guilt. She wished she could do the same. She wished she could take back what she had said to her cousin at the farm. She looked at the palm of her right hand, stroking the palm with her finger. She could still feel the sting from slapping Bo. She needed to tell Bo that she didn't mean a word she said, but she couldn't so she decided she will at least make her apology to her older cousin. "Luke?" Luke turned around to face her. "I'm sorry for what I said at the farm. I don't hate you." Daisy said as the tears ran down her cheeks. "I didn't mean any of it. I'm so sorry!" Daisy started sobbing. Luke put his arm around her. It was his turn to help Daisy.
"You had the right to be angry with us. You thought we were going back on our word. We both knew that you only said those things out of anger. We were never angry at you."
"What happens if I can't tell him myself? What happens if he dies thinking I hate him?" Daisy asked. Luke pulled his arm away and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"One, Bo ain't gonna to die." Luke said as he stared at the door, willing a doctor to come through it and tell them that his cousin was fine, "Two, Bo already knows you don't hate him. And three," he looked back at Daisy and smiled, "You won the race for him. How could he not forgive you after that." Daisy gave small laugh and wiped away her tears. She knew what Luke was saying was true but she still would like to hear it from Bo. They sat in silence after that.
Two hours later a doctor came out of the double doors. "Family of Beauregard Duke." He called out. They all jumped up and surrounded him.
"That's us." Jesse told him.
"I'm Dr Whitler and I'm the doctor who performed surgery on Beauregard." Dr Whitler told him. "It was a really close call. He went into cardiac arrest twice during surgery. One bullet went through his right lung and embedded itself in just below his shoulder blade. We've patched up the hole in his lung. The bullet in his abdomen caused less damage. It didn't hit anything vital. We've removed the bullet there as well." He looked at the family and knew that he was leaving out the only detail they wanted to know. "We've put him in the Intensive Care Unit. We've intubated him to assist with his breathing while his lung is repairing. He's alive but he's in a coma."
"What does that mean?" Luke asked.
"It means that his body has taken such a shock that the only way it could deal with it was to shut down. We're hoping that he would wake up as his body recovers. It's not a deep coma so hopefully he'll come out of it in a couple of days."
"Can we see him?" Daisy asked.
"Only one at a time and only for 10 minutes. We're keeping him in ICU overnight. If his condition doesn't worsen overnight then we can move him into a normal room where there are no restrictions." The family looked at each other, but they already knew that it would be Luke going in first. When it came to Bo, it was impossible to keep Luke away.
"Go." Jesse told him. "We'll go in after." Luke nodded and followed the doctor to the ICU.
Luke entered the room where there were five other patients. He followed the doctor to where Bo was. "A nurse will come in to let you know when your times up." Dr Whitler told him. Luke stepped up to the bed. There was so many tubes and wires going in and out of his cousin that he barely recognised him. Bo was pale and the tube in his mouth made all this almost too much for Luke to take. There were bandages around his waist and chest. He gently took Bo's hand. "You'll be okay, Bo. You have to be, we need you." Luke didn't get a response from Bo. He wouldn't even be able to tell he was alive if not for the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the rising of his chest with each breath that was pumped into his lungs. "I love you, Bo. I know I don't say that enough, but I do and I can't imagine the farm without you, so you have to be okay, because if you do leave us, I don't know if we'll survive."
"I'm sorry, Sir, but your time's up." Luke wiped the tears from his cheeks before turning around and heading out the door.
Daisy was the next to visit Bo. She put her hand on Bo's. "Hi Bo." She said, "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I just want you to know that I love you. You're my baby cousin and I've always loved you. I know the truth now. I know why you took the job Mary-Beth offered and I want you to know that I'm real proud of you. You did it to protect all the innocent people out there from getting hurt by Carver. You're a hero, Bo." Daisy put her hand to her mouth when she knew she could no longer hold back her tears. "I'm so sorry, Bo." She ran out the room and back into the waiting room where Luke and Jesse was waiting for her. Luke grabbed her and pulled her close, letting her cry in his arms. Jesse stood there with his hand on Daisy's back. Luke nodded to him to say that he would take care of Daisy. Jesse returned it and entered the doors to see his nephew.
Jesse was as surprised as Daisy and Luke when he saw his nephew laying there motionless. He brushed aside Bo's hair and lean over carefully to give him a kiss on the forehead. "You just get yourself better, Bo. You don't have to worry about your cousins. I'll make sure they don't blame themselves, because I know that's what you want. I love you, Bo." He stayed there without saying anything more and waited until the nurse told him he had to leave. When he returned to the waiting room he found that Luke was seated with Daisy next to him. Daisy had got her sobbing down to sniffles but was still leaning into the strong arms of her cousin. Luke was stroking her head. "We need to find a place to stay." Luke told his uncle when he came up to them. "The nurse said there was a motel a block down the road. She called for us and booked a room. We can stay there for the night." Jesse nodded.
It was hard for Luke to leave the hospital when his cousin was still in a critical condition but there was nothing he could do. Visiting hours were over and there was no way he would be allowed to visit Bo in the ICU again today. He sat on the bed with his legs crossed at the ankles reading a car magazine. Daisy had cried herself to sleep, using Luke's leg as a pillow. Jesse was sleeping on the other bed. They were all exhausted, but Luke couldn't sleep. He was hoping that the magazine would keep his mind off the events of the day but it didn't. He sighed and put it down. Luke gently got out from under Daisy and put a pillow under her head and then left the hotel room. He was only going to step out for some air, when he saw that there was a park opposite the motel and headed over there. Before he even knew it he was running around the park. He got faster and faster and faster. He didn't know why he was running he just kept going. Luke didn't know how long he had been running for but it was a long time and he got to the point where he couldn't continue. Luke stopped and collapsed onto the grass. He was crying. He was crying so hard that he had to curl in on himself. He had been trying to stay strong for his family but now that he was alone he couldn't keep it in any longer. His cousin could die and there was nothing he could do about it. Luke had never felt so helpless in his life. He laid there until he felt he got his emotions under control again before getting up and heading back to the motel. Luke wasn't about to let his cousin and uncle know that he had just broken down the way he did. He entered the room and laid down next to his cousin and fell asleep.
The next morning the Duke clan were waiting outside the ICU waiting on word from Bo's doctor. They got up when Dr Whitler came out. "I have good news. Bo's condition has stabled and we'll be moving him to a private room." The doctor told him.
Jesse was happy that Bo's condition had improved but, "We can't afford to pay for a private room for Bo." He told the doctor.
"Oh, you won't need to worry about that." Dr Whitler told them. "The bill will be charged to the FBI. A Special Agent Waldon came in after you left and told the receptionist that Bo was to receive the best of care from this hospital. He'll be in room 302. Once we have Bo settled, a nurse will let you know."
"I'm going to have to thank Waldon." Luke said as they sat back down and waited for the nurse to come get them.
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting around Bo's room. Bo still had wires and tubes running in and out of him but at least the doctor thought he had a good chance of waking up. Luke had asked about the tube down Bo's throat but they wouldn't be moving that until he woke up. They were sitting in silence watching over their youngest when the door opened and two of the most unexpected people stuck their head through the door. Boss Hogg was wearing his trademark white suit and white hat. Rosco was still in his civilian clothes. Boss took his hat off as he walked in.
"Hello Jesse," Boss nodded at Jesse and then at Daisy and Luke, then he looked at Bo. "How is he, Jesse?"
"Doc says his getting better, but he's still in a coma." Jesse told him.
Rosco bowed his head and played with his fisherman's hat. Boss turned away from the still figure on the bed. "You know that I may not like your boys, on the account that they cause me trouble, but I never wanted to see them hurt."
"Gjit...that's right. You Duke boys are trouble-makers with a capital T, but I...we...me and my little fat buddy...we never wished any harm on you boys."
"That's mighty kind of you to say, J.D., Rosco." Jesse said, "I'm sure Bo would appreciate you coming to visit him."
"We're heading back to Hazzard today. We just wanted to come by to see how Bo was faring." Boss said, he started backing out the door, but bumped into Rosco instead. "Oooh!" Boss turned around and swiped Rosco on the head with his hat before pushing him out the door. He turned back around and gave Jesse his sweetest smile he could muster, "We'll see you all back in Hazzard." and closed the door.
Luke shook his head and smiled as he sat back down in the chair next to Bo's bed. "Those two really are a piece of work. Bo would have loved to see their faces just now." Daisy gave a small laugh. She had always known Boss was a big softy.
"J.D may be greedy but we were good friends at one time and I like to think that the man he was back then is still in there somewhere."
Luke rested his head on the edge of Bo's bed next to his hand. "I don't know, Uncle Jesse. If he is in there he's buried quite deep."
"Maybe and maybe not. I have faith that J.D will come through for us one day when it matters most." Jesse said confidently.
"I think so too. He may not like you and Bo, Luke, but he's always been nice to me." Daisy agreed.
"Ah, Daisy, that's because he needs you at the Boar's Nest." Luke laughed. "Anyway, he has you working there for next to noth..." Luke froze mid-sentence. Jesse frowned at his boy's frozen expression.
"Luke?" Daisy was worried until he saw a smile form on Luke's face. Luke still hadn't moved other than that. "Luke?" Now she was confused.
Luke lifted his head off the bed and picked up Bo's hand. "Get the doctor, Daisy. I think Bo's waking up. He had his fingers in my hair." Luke put a hand to his head where Bo had touched him. Daisy ran outside to get the doctor. Jesse got up and stood next to Luke. He was praying that it wasn't just Bo's muscles twitching. He looked at the hand Luke was holding. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, Bo." Luke asked of his unconscious cousin. Luke and Jesse watched the hand like a hawk and then they saw it. It was only a slight movement but it was deliberate. Daisy came back in with Dr Whitler. "He squeezed my hand, Doc." Luke told him as he moved out of the way so that the doctor could examine his cousin.
"I saw it as well, Doc. Bo was responding to Luke." Jesse confirmed. They waited as the doctor shone a light into Bo's eyes. The doctor turned to them and smiled.
"I wasn't expecting him to come out of his coma for another day or so, but you're right. He is waking up." Dr Whitler smiled as the family hugged each other in celebration. "He won't fully wake up for another few hours and barring any complications, he should make a full recovery. I have to tell you. He's a fighter. I wasn't expecting such a good response. Let the nurses know when he wakes up. We'll take out the tube once he's more aware." The doctor left the room and Luke stepped back to where he was standing. He picked up Bo's hand.
"I knew you could do it." Luke said proudly and received another light squeeze. "That's okay, Bo. You take your time. We'll be here when you open your eyes." Jesse could see that Bo was just sleeping now and not just unconscious. Jesse always knew that his boys had a bond since they were boys but this was the first time he could almost physically see it. Daisy pulled Jesse over to the couch and sat down, resting her head on his shoulder.
"He's going to be okay." She said to no-one in particular. Jesse smiled. His family was going to be fine. Just like it will always be.
Two hour later...
Bo's eyes fluttered as he tried to open them. His eyelids felt so heavy and there was something in his throat. He started to panic and tried to pull out the offending object but someone grabbed his hands and held them down which made him panic more. "Bo, calm down. The tube's there to help you breath." Luke? Bo stopped his struggle and finally managed to open his eyes. Luke was above him, running his fingers through his hair. "Howdy! About time you woke up." Bo frowned. "Don't worry. Daisy's gone to get the doctor and they're going to get the tube out. You're going to be okay." Bo relaxed when Luke smiled at him. He knew everything would be okay as long as his cousin was with him.
The doctor entered the room with a nurse. He stood over Bo. "You're looking much stronger." Bo didn't like him. He wanted Luke but he had gone once the doctor came into view.. "It's okay, Bo. I'm going to get your tube out now." The doctor told him, but Bo just started panicking again when he couldn't find Luke. Luke was watching from next to his uncle. When he saw that Bo wasn't listening to the doctor he stepped up to them.
"Let me, doctor." He said, and took the doctor's place next to Bo. The effect was immediate. Bo calmed down once he could see Luke again. The doctor was amazed at the effect Luke had on his cousin. "Do you think you can do what you need to with me standing here?" Luke asked him.
"That shouldn't be a problem at all." The doctor said and moved to the other side of the bed. "Bo?" He waited until Bo was looking at him. "I'm going to take the tube out. It's going to be uncomfortable but I'll make it quick. Don't fight it and it'll be over before you know it. Okay?" Bo blinked his eyes to tell the doctor he understood. "Great. When I tell you to, I want you to cough." Bo blinked again. The doctor peeled off the tape that was holding the tube in place and then gripped the tube. "Okay, on three. 1...2...3!" Bo coughed and the doctor pulled the tube out in one smooth motion. Bo's hand tightened on Luke's and Luke responded by patting his hand, letting him know that he was there for him. The doctor detached the tube and put it on the tray the nurse was holding. Luke grabbed a tissue and wiped Bo's mouth and chin. "You did great, Bo. Don't try to talk yet. I'm going to arrange the bed so that you can sit up. Let me know if I'm causing any pain." Bo nodded. Dr Whitler pressed the button on the bed and the top of the bed started lifting up. It was almost at a forty-five degree angle when Bo groaned. The doctor stopped. "I'll be back to check on him in an hour or so." Dr Whitler told him. He handed Luke a cup. "These are ice chips. It'll help sooth his throat." Luke thanked to doctor and then sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you want some?" Luke asked, holding up the cup. Bo nodded. Luke spooned in the ice chips and Bo moaned as the cold water ran down his sore throat. Bo smiled his thanks and then looked around the room. That was when he spotted Daisy and Jesse. He beamed and held out his hand to them. Jesse and Daisy both took his hand.
"You gave us a real scare." Daisy told him.
"Sor...ry." Bo said and then grimaced at the pain that small word caused him.
"Don't talk, Bo." Jesse told him. "And you have nothing to apologise for, but the next time you boys decide to go undercover, you better tell me first so I can talk you out of it!"
Bo shook his head and Luke chuckled, "I agree. I don't think I want to do that ever again." Jesse smiled at the way Luke could understand Bo. "You should sleep some more. The sooner you recover the sooner we can get back to Hazzard." Bo smiled at the thought of Hazzard, falling asleep to the image of being home.
The family returned to where they were seated and just watched Bo in silence. They were just relieved that Bo was going to be okay. "Bo's going to be here a while." Jesse said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, he still has a long way to go." Luke was stroking Bo's hand with his finger. "I'm staying with him." Luke knew where his uncle was going with this. "He's going to be here for a couple of weeks at least and I ain't going to let him stay here by himself."
Jesse was proud of his eldest. Luke would always look out for Bo. It was like second nature to him. "I know. I wouldn't leave Bo here by himself either, but I have get back to Hazzard. The farm ain't going to tend to itself. Daisy, you have a choice. You can stay here with Bo and Luke or come home with me." Daisy was torn. She wanted to stay with Bo but she didn't want her uncle driving back to Hazzard by himself
"You should go back to Hazzard, Daisy." Luke told her, "The farm is going to be short two hands for a while. Uncle Jesse needs all the help he can get."
"Now, Luke, I can handle the farm by myself. Anyway, I can always ask Cooter for help if I need any." Jesse didn't want Daisy to come home with him because of her responsibilities at the farm. Not to mention, the work the boys did, Daisy couldn't do.
"No, Luke's right, Uncle Jesse and Bo doesn't need both of us here." She smiled at Luke, "He just needs Luke." Luke returned the smile. "But can we wait until he wakes up again before leaving? I still have some things to say to him."
"Of course we can, Sweetheart." Jesse said as he rubbed circles around her back. "He wouldn't be happy with us if we left without a word anyway."
As the family was talking while watching over their youngest. Mary-Beth was only just coming out of the shock that her father had been on the FBI's most wanted list for the past two years and that he had been dealing in illegal activities for over ten years. She had always let her father take care of her but now that he was going away for the rest of his life, she had to learn to take care of herself. She didn't have to worry about money though. Her father had money wired to a bank in Switzerland in her name. It was money that the FBI couldn't touch. She didn't know where her life would take her now, but she knew she had one more thing to do before she left her home here and started a new life. She entered room 302 at Mercy General Hospital.
Luke looked up when the door opened. He shot up from his chair when he saw who it was. "Mary-Beth." Mary-Beth ignored him and just stared at the man in the bed. "Doctor says he's going to be okay." Mary-Beth just nodded. "I'm sorry about your father, but if we didn't stop him he would've hurt a lot of people."
"I'm not here to hear you apologise. I wanted to speak to Bo. I have questions for him." Mary-Beth hadn't even looked away from Bo. "I'll come back when he's awake." She turned to leave but Luke stopped her.
"Mary-Beth, he won't be up to talking for a while." Luke told her. "I know what you want to talk to him about but he's barely even aware when he's awake."
"Well I think he owes it to me to give me an answer and I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." She wasn't about to leave the state without getting answers.
Luke looked over at Jesse and Daisy and gave a slight cock of the head to door. Jesse got up and pulled Daisy with him. "Daisy and I'll got get something to eat. We'll leave you to talk." They left the room.
"Look Mary-Beth, I know we hurt you but I ain't about to let you tear into Bo when he can barely defend himself." Luke moved closer to the bed as if to shield Bo from her.
"I'm not going to hurt him. I just want to talk." She spoke slowly as if Luke was hard of hearing.
Luke was about to respond in the same way but he was stopped by a hand on his. "It's okay." Bo's voice was hoarse. Luke grabbed the cup of ice, giving Bo some much needed moisture for his throat.
Luke put the cup down and leaned over. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes I do." Bo pleaded for Luke to let him talk to Mary-Beth.
"Okay, but I'm not leaving the room." Bo smiled. He wanted Luke to stay anyway. Luke turned to Mary-Beth. "You can talk to him, but if I think he needs to rest, you leave."
Mary-Beth nodded and Luke moved aside so that she could stand next to Bo. Luke went to sit on the couch. "My father's going away for a very long time, thanks to you and your cousin."
"I'm sorry." Bo told her.
"Then why did you do it?"
"I'm not sorry for helping the FBI get your dad." Bo closed his eyes and took a breath. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
"Did any of it mean anything to you? Because it did to me. I was really falling for you."
"If we could've done this without you, we would have." This was taking more out of him than he had thought it would. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry! That's all you can say! You turn my life upside down and all you can say is sorry!" Mary-Beth was losing control. She had thought she had come here for answers but she realised that she actually wanted justice. "How dare you come into my life like this?" She was crying now.
Bo felt so bad. He forgot about his injuries and tried to sit up, sending pain up and down his entire body. "Bo!" Luke was at his side in a split second. Bo had his eyes closed tight and his hands were gripping at the blanket. Luke loosened his grip and put his hand in Bo. He ran his hand through Bo's hair. "Bo listen to me. I know it hurts. Just take deep breaths." Bo was trying to follow his cousin's instructions but he could barely concentrate. "Bo, just breathe. In...out...in...out...in...out." Luke continued this until he could feel Bo start relaxing. Luke smiled, "That's it. You're doing fine." Bo was sweating from the effort it took him to ride out the pain and that effort also took away his strength. "Talk time's over. You need to rest."
"I still..." Mary-Beth froze when Luke turned to her, glaring at her with so much anger she truly thought he was capable of hurting her.
Luke turned back to his cousin when he saw she got the message. It was like seeing two completely different people. The gentleness he had with Bo was the complete opposite to the man Mary-Beth just had the misfortune of meeting. "You need to rest. I can deal with Mary-Beth." Bo wanted to protest but Luke stopped him, "You didn't do anything wrong. You've apologised to her and that's all you can do. We did what we had to do. Now go to sleep." Luke was running his hand through Bo's hair again to help nudge him to sleep. It was something Jesse use to do with Bo when he was fighting sleep. It always worked and Luke was relieved it still does. Bo was resting peacefully now. Once Luke was sure Bo was completely asleep, he got up and turned to face Mary-Beth. Mary-Beth stepped back when he did. Luke sighed, "I'm sorry I scared you, but Bo wasn't in any condition to talk any more."
Mary-Beth lifted her chin in defiance. "You didn't scare me and I still haven't got the answers I want."
"And you won't get them. Not from Bo." Luke told her. He put up his hand when she was about to protest, "It was wrong of us to use you the way we did, but don't forget, we didn't want to take your job offer in the first place. If it was up to us, we would have found another way, but your offer gave us the best opportunity without looking suspicious."
"That doesn't give you the right to use me the way you did. You can't play with someone's emotions like that."
"Don't kid yourself, Mary-Beth. Bo was just another notch on your belt. I know your kind. Little rich girl who always got what she wanted and Bo was just something that you wanted." It was true and Luke could tell by the look on Mary-Beth's face that he was right. "I really appreciate what you did for my cousin and uncle after Bo got shot and that makes me believe that you did actually care for Bo, but that doesn't mean that I'm not right about you. If it wasn't Bo driving for you, it would have been someone else and he would've meant as much to you as Bo; someone who could win races." Luke could tell that all the anger Mary-Beth had towards Bo was slowly leaving her. He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry for hurting you, but I'm not sorry for helping to put your daddy away. You're not anything like your him. Leave all of this behind and start a new life." Mary-Beth wiped away her tears and nodded.
"Tell Bo that I'm sorry he got hurt and that I don't blame him." She left the room without waiting for a response. Luke let out a long breath. He was glad that was over and that they would never see her again. He didn't want Bo hurting any more than he already was over this. He really was glad that they helped put J.J. Carver away but he was starting to wonder if Bo was paying too high a price for it. He sat down in the chair next to the bed, exhausted from having to deal with Mary-Beth and worrying over his cousin. Daisy and Jesse came back into the room then.
"We saw Mary-Beth leave. Is everything okay?" Jesse asked. Luke nodded. He told them about what had happened but left out the part about Bo's pain from trying to move.
"Poor Mary-Beth. None of this was her fault. She didn't even know anything about her father's illegal activities." Daisy felt bad for her.
"I'm sure she'll be fine once she's leaves all this behind her." Luke said.
"It might be a while before Bo wakes up again." Jesse handed Luke a bread roll he got from the hospital canteen and a drink. "Here, eat up. I'll sit with him." Luke got up and took the food and drink.
"Thanks, Uncle Jesse." Luke sat down next to Daisy and ate. He didn't realise how hungry he was until he took that first bite. It was delicious. He finished it in no time. It was another two hours before Bo stirred. Daisy got up so quickly that Luke had to grab her by the elbows to stop her from toppling over. "Slow down, Daisy. He ain't going anywhere."
Jesse got up from where he was sitting and went to the couch. Luke would have been at Bo's side as well but he and Jesse both knew that Daisy needed to talk to Bo. They watched as Daisy picked up Bo's hand as he opened his eyes. He smiled when his eyes came into focus. "Howdy."
"Hey."
"How are you?" Bo asked.
"I think I should be asking that, don't you think?"
Bo smiled. "I'm glad you're okay." He took a couple of breaths before continuing, "I would never forgive myself if Jo Jo hurt you."
Daisy started tearing up. She was the reason her cousin was laying here and all he could think about was her. "I'm sorry, Bo." She let the tears run down her cheek.
"Hey, don't cry." Bo wanted to wipe away her tears but he didn't have the strength, so Daisy lifted his hand up to her face. "Why are you sorry?"
"I didn't mean what I said at the farm. I don't hate you and I had no right to hit you the way I did. I understand if you can't forgive me for all the nasty things I said." Daisy sniffed.
Bo shook his head, "I know you didn't mean it. You were angry and you had every right to be. Anyway, you won the race, didn't you?" Daisy gave a short laugh. That was what Luke had told her. She looked at Luke and saw the smug look there.
"You think you're real smart, don't ya?" Luke just shrugged, making her laughed. She looked back at her cousin who was losing a battle with sleep again. "Listen, Bo. Uncle Jesse and I need to go back to the farm, but Luke will stay with you." Jesse got up and walked over to the bed.
"That's right, kiddo. You stay here and get better. We'll see you back in Hazzard." Jesse kissed him on the top of his head.
"Drive carefully." Bo told Daisy.
Daisy laughed, "Hey, you're talking to a NASCAR champion here. Don't you worry about my driving."
Bo smiled, "I love you." He told them before he eyes got too heavy for him and he was gone again.
"We love you too." Daisy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She was feeling lighter now. She had finally got to talk to Bo and everything was cleared now. "Let's go, Uncle Jesse." Daisy and Jesse hugged Luke, "Take care of him and we'll see you at home." She told him.
"I expect you to call me every day and give me a report on Bo's progress, you hear?"
"I will, Uncle Jesse." They left the room and Luke made himself comfortable on the couch. Bo was asleep and it was time for him to get some shut-eye as well. Luke would be making this couch his bed for the next couple of weeks or so, so he may as well start getting use to it.
The end...for now.
Hope y'all enjoyed this story. I'm going to be writing another story to follow this one directly. This is probably the worse injury I've given Bo and I know that a recovery from a bullet wound doesn't just take two weeks to heal. I really want to explore how Bo and the family handles him being stuck on the farm for a month.