Warning: Not beta-ed and I'm very sure there will be grammatical and probably spelling errors in this one, so once again I apologise in advance.
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Bo and Luke Duke, I don't and neither do I own any of the other characters in the Dukes of Hazzard. The Song in chapter four is Brotherly Love which was written by Jimmy Stewart and Tim Nichols, and performed by Moe Bandy as well as Keith Whitley and Earl Thomas Conley. It was first recorded in 1989 and therefore not in the Dukes' timeline but I love the lyrics and I think it describes the Duke boys beautifully.
A week later...
"Quit lying, Bo. We already know the truth, you've been lying to us for two weeks now. You're the car thief." Luke held up the carburettor Bo had bought him. "I won't accept anything that's bought with dirty money." Luke threw it at Bo.
"No!" Bo sat up in his bed, breathing hard. That nightmare again. It has woken him up every night since they caught the car thieves. Looking around the room, it was dark, the sun hadn't risen yet, but Bo couldn't go back to sleep, so he did what he's been doing for the past week. After checking that he didn't wake Luke up, he quietly left the room. Light was peeking over the trees. It won't be long until the sun came up. Bo started on the morning chores. He started with chopping the wood.
Luke laid in bed awake. He was woken up by Bo calling out...again, but he didn't want Bo to know he was awake. He sighed as he heard the chopping of the wood. It's been a week now but Bo was still distant. Bo tried to act like he was fine but his family knew him too well to believe it to be true. He's been through so much in the past couple of weeks, noone can bounce back from that so quickly. The problem was, Bo wouldn't open up to them and Luke didn't want to push him.
Jesse got up to do the morning chores. Looking around the yard he noticed the piles of chopped wood again the barn and the eggs on the porch. Luke stepped out behind him, hearing his uncle sigh. "Bo had a nightmare again." Jesse didn't need Luke to tell him what he already knew. "He didn't sleep again."
"He slept, but woke up 'round about 4.30 this morning." Luke told his uncle.
"He's still hurting. After a week, he's still hurting." Jesse stated. Luke was about to agree when Bo yelled out.
"Dang it, Maudine. What did I ever do to you?" Bo came out of the stall, rubbing his right arm. "I swear, if it wasn't for Uncle Jesse I'll send you off to the glue factory!"
Luke and Jesse laughed. This was the old Bo. "She kick you again?" Jesse called out. Bo's head shot up at the voice and just like that, the Bo they knew was gone.
"Yeah, third time this week!" Bo complained, "Good thing I fed her last. I don't know why she hates me." Bo recovered from his shock, quickly. He didn't know Jesse and Luke were there, but he should've known. They were always there. Still he was hoping to get back in the house before anyone woke up.
"Maybe because you tried to ride her like a horse when you were fourteen." Luke reminded him.
"I didn't know donkeys had such long memories." Bo grumbled, still rubbing his aching arm. "I'm hungry. When's breakfast ready?'
"Give me half an hour, go wash up. I'll have breakfast on the table."
"Thanks, Uncle Jesse." Bo grinned and ran into the house. Bo got in the bathroom and closed the door. With his back against the door, he took a deep breath and rubbed his face, his grin disappearing. He was only going to brush his teeth and wash his face but he decided a cold shower would help him calm down. He was feeling frustrated, unable to get his emotions under control. It was strange to be feeling both anger and gratitude towards his cousin and uncle, but this was the way he was feeling since they got back from the hospital. He didn't want to be angry at them, not after everything they've done for him as well as knowing they truly did regret what happened that day. However, it was hard to forget what they did either.
"Do you think we should talk to him?" Jesse asked Luke. He trusted Luke's judgement when it came to his cousin.
"I do think he needs to talk but I also think it's up to him." Luke started setting up the table for breakfast. "It's never a good thing to push Bo. He'll just end up running again and we already know how dangerous that could get." Jesse shivered at the memory of Bo so sick. "Then again, it can't be good to let it go on for too long. He's already looking a little run down."
"So what are you saying?" Jesse asked.
Luke sighed and sat down at the table. "I really don't know. The only thing we can do is keep a close eye on him and be there when he wants to talk."
Bo came out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel. He smiled at them as he sat down. "mmm...smells good, Uncle Jesse."
Jesse served the sausages, "We have plenty today, so eat up."
"Yes, sir!" Bo grinned. Luke couldn't help but notice that Bo's smiles never reach his eyes like they use to.
"You know, Bo, you're gonna have to leave some of the chores for me. I don't think I've done the morning chores in a week now, keep going like this and I might get use to it." Luke grinned at him.
Bo shrugged, "I don't mind. Makes up for all the chores you did for me last week."
The joke didn't get the response Luke wanted and he didn't expect it to. He just wanted his cousin back so badly. It was then, he thought of something. "Say, Bo! We haven't really tried out the General Lee since we put in the new carburettor You want to take him for spin after breakfast?"
Bo stiffened at the mention of the present he had gotten Luke. He kept his head down and kept on eating, not wanting Luke to see his reaction. It would hurt Luke to know that he was still sensitive about the subject. "Um...maybe another day. I'm a little tired now after those chores. Might take a nap."
Luke nodded, disappointed that Bo would turn down a drive in the General Lee, but understanding why he did. Bo and Luke haven't sat in the General Lee together since that day. "That's fine, Bo. Another day." He hoped that day came soon.
That night, at dinner time, Daisy watched her family eat in silence. She hated seeing her uncle and cousins like this. Meal times were always full of chatter in the Duke family, but these days, it had been so quiet, one would think they were in another household. She knew the reason behind it, but unlike her older cousin, she wasn't willing to wait for it to blow over. The Duke family was always open about their problems and Daisy wasn't about to let that change. After dinner, she decided she wanted to have a private talk with Bo. Bo might've been different with Jesse and Luke, but he and Daisy have had a couple of days where Bo was relaxed as they spoke. She prayed that Bo would open up to her.
They sat on the porch in the swing chair, enjoying the cool night air. Daisy had her arm around Bo's waist and her head resting on Bo's shoulder, while he had his arm around her shoulder. Keeping her warm. "I miss the days when a customer came into the Boar's Nest telling me that they saw the General Lee fly over the creek or run the Sheriff into Hazzard Pond." Bo smiled sadly, he missed those days as well. "I miss you, Bo."
"I'm still here, Daisy." He could feel Daisy shake her head in response.
"Only physically. I've never heard you laugh since you got your memory back."
Bo sighed, "Just need to get my thoughts together."
"I can help, you know. You use to always go to one of us whenever you're confused or in trouble."
"This time's different. None of you can, possibly, understand how I'm feeling right now." Bo wanted to run away but he wouldn't do that to Daisy. She was the only one he could be himself around lately and he didn't want to lose that one fragile hold he had on his old life.
"Describe it to me. If you think I don't understand, you can explain it to me. I don't like seeing you like this, Bo. Please!" She begged him and even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was crying and nobody could refuse Daisy's request when she cried.
"Daisy, I'm so confused about it all. I don't even know if I can explain it to you." Bo pulled her in tight, not wanting her to think that he couldn't talk to her.
"Try, I'm really quite smart, you know." Daisy sniffed, making Bo chuckle at that.
"Okay." Bo sighed, "I'm angry, but I don't know what I'm angry at. I really thought I could forgive Luke and Uncle Jesse for what they did, but I keep having nightmares about that day at the jail. So what does that mean, that I don't forgive them? But how can I not forgive them after everything they did for me. I remember the days when I lost my memory. They took care of me. They protected me, even gave me the day I wanted for Luke on his birthday. How can I still be angry at them when they did all that for me?" Daisy listened to the pain in Bo's words. No wonder why he was so confused. "What right do I have to be angry at them?"
Daisy's head shot up from Bo's shoulder at that last line. She turned in her seat so that she could look at Bo. "Bo, you have every right to be angry. Luke and Uncle Jesse should've believed when you told them what happened. It was wrong of them to even think that you could be involved in the car thefts.
"But they've made it up to me, tenfolds now. I've never like fighting with Luke. I've never been able to stay angry at him for too long. I don't know why this time it's so hard." Bo sat forward, burying his face in his hands. "He almost died, Daisy. He almost died and I still can't forgive him? The stupid thing is, I thought I was going to die when I thought Luke had died and I didn't have the chance the forgive him, now that I've been given that chance, I can't do it!"
Daisy put a hand on his back. Bo was right, this was confusing and she wasn't sure she could help him, but she knew who could. She smiled when Luke came out onto the porch. Luke was always around when Bo was hurting, this wasn't an exception. Daisy nodded to him, telling him to talk to Bo. She knew he had heard everything.
"It's okay if you can't forgive me, Bo." Luke said as he knelt down beside the swing.
Bo turned his head to look at him. "No, it isn't. Seeing you get shot made me realise that our lives can be taken from us in a second. How can I still hold onto my anger when life's that fragile, but for some stupid reason, I can't let it go."
"Maybe, that's because you were never given the chance to deal with it." Luke said.
Bo was confused, "What are you talking about? It's been two weeks since it happened, I've had enough time to deal with it."
"No, you haven't. You spent about five days with amnesia, you couldn't deal with it then because you didn't even remember it. Then, once you got your memory back, you forgave me just like that because you thought I died. You haven't dealt with anything. You've been keeping it all in just because you think you have to forgive us." Luke put a hand on his shoulder. "I would rather you be angry at me, punch me, yell at me, than for you to be like this." Luke gave a short laugh, "Heck, you're always the one to throw the first punch, what's stopping you now?"
"I don't know." Bo answered simply, looking down at his hands.
Luke got up. This wasn't working, but Bo was finally opening up to them and he didn't want that to stop now. He took a deep breath. He had a plan but it would either push Bo away or get him to let his anger out. Luke hoped it was the latter. Daisy and Jesse was going to kill him after this. "You lied to us, Bo."
Daisy's eyes widened in shock at what Luke said, "Luke!" Bo looked up at him, confused.
"Stay out of this, Daisy!" Luke yelled at her, causing her to lean back in her seat. She was starting to regret encouraging Luke to speak to Bo. "You lied to us for two whole weeks and you did a fine job of it. Makes me wonder what else you've lied to us about."
Luke watched as Bo's eyes hardened. "You better watch what you're saying, Luke."
"Or what? It's true isn't it. You didn't even bat an eye when we asked about your day. Just went on telling us about what a great family the Mekeroys were. You lie so well, I really want to know what else you've lie..." That was as far as Luke got, when Bo barrelled into him, causing them both to roll off the porch.
"Bo! Luke!" Daisy called, distressed, "Uncle Jesse! Uncle Jesse!" Jesse came out to find his boys rolling on the ground.
"What in blazes is going on?" Jesse yelled, "You boys better get up right now, before I get out my shotgun!" It didn't work, of course. For one, it was an empty threat and two, the boys, or Bo, were too full of rage to hear anything.
"I told you why I lied about the Mekeroys. I told you! Why won't you believe me? Why didn't you just trust me!" Bo yelled as he punched Luke across the jaw. "I trusted you. I've always trusted you!"
Jesse realised what was happening then. He put his arm around Daisy, "Bo needs this, Daisy and Luke knows what he's doing. We'll stay here and make sure they don't hurt each other too badly." Daisy nodded, her uncle was always right. She'll trust him.
Luke struggled enough to not let Bo get in too many punches but not enough to stop Bo from releasing his frustration. This was what he had expected of Bo when he was first released from his cell, this was what Bo needed and even though it was two weeks later, it is still what Bo needs. "You chose to believe a man who you didn't even know, over me! What did I do to lose your trust?"
Luke rolled over and got Bo under him. "You didn't do anything to lose it." Luke told him softly. Bo threw another punch, sending Luke off him. He got up and dragged Luke up by his shirt.
"So what, I never had it in the first place?" Bo screamed at him.
Luke shook his head, "Of course you did. You know I trust you with me life!"
Bo shoved him away, breathing heavily, "No, I don't. Maybe I did, but not any more."
Luke took a step towards his cousin, but Bo took a step back. "I was wrong. I should've known that you could never steal cars. I should've believed you. I let my pride get in the way. I didn't like that you were able to hide what you were doing from me for so long."
"So you accuse me of lying. You accused me of stealing! All to make yourself feel better!" Bo turned to his uncle who was still standing on the porch. "And what's your excuse then, Uncle Jesse? Why didn't you believe me?"
Jesse flinched, he didn't even know that Bo knew he was there, but he couldn't stay on the sideline any more. He was as much to blame as Luke. "I can't give you any excuses, son. I only looked at the evidence and ignored the one person I should've listened to, you."
Bo collapsed to his knees. His head down, like he had given up. "I don't understand. What did I do to lose both your trusts. What did I do? I was just a small lie. It didn't hurt anyone."
Luke's heart broke at the sight of his cousin. He did this to Bo and he was going to fix it. He stepped up to his cousin and knelt down. "You didn't do anything and you're right. The lie didn't hurt anyone. Bo, this ain't your fault. I'm the one who hurt you. You have every right to be angry at me and Uncle Jesse. We chose to believe the so-called evidence. You didn't do anything wrong, we did. You shouldn't be the one being tortured over this."
"I keep having nightmares about that day." Bo told him.
Luke nodded, "I know." Bo looked at him in surprise. He thought he had managed to keep that from Luke, "Do you really think I can sleep when I know you're hurting?"
"I don't know what to do, Luke." Bo use to always turn to Luke for everything. It's time he did again.
"Let's go for a drive." Luke said, Bo frowned at him. "This all began with that carburettor It's only fitting it ends with it. We put that in together. Let's go for a drive together. I'll show you what a beautiful thing came out of all this mess. You drive." Luke got up, then offered his hand to Bo. Bo looked at it. Not sure if this was a good idea or not. He had been avoiding the General Lee all week now, but maybe Luke was right, and this really was what he needed. Bo turned his gaze to Luke and nodded, grabbing his hand and letting Luke pull him up. "We'll be back later." Luke called out to Jesse and Daisy. Jesse watched them leave, praying that the Bo that comes back is the one he's known since he was 6 months old.
