A/N: Sorry about the format (later on) if its too bunched up, tell me and I'll fix it. Yes, Teri(reviewer) Wally is named after Wally West A.K.A. the Flash - cute, eh? lol
Luke looked up when light started flooding the room from the doorway. "Hi guys." He smiled sheepishly.
Jessica smirked slightly then put her hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side, "How do ya expect me to get any sleep? I've been in the hospital all day."
"Relax, Jess," Bo smirked as he side stepped her and walked towards the chair nearest Luke's bed, "you're not goin' to school tomorrow."
She dropped her hand from her hip, "I know…I jist really wanna sleep in my own bed."
"An' if I hadn't have overreacted as much as I did ya would have been right now." Luke bowed his head and wrung his hands until they cracked. "Sorry, Jesse."
Jessica checked her watch, it read 12:30. "No, I probably wouldn't be." "What?" she turned to her dad and grinned. "Of course I wouldn't be, dad. The night's still young!" "Ya!" Bo laughed, "And your 17!" Jessica was just about to retort when her uncle's laboured laugh hit her ears and she turned to him again.
"Sorry." Luke coughed, "Maybe ya should tell yur dad, Jesse, that he's startin' ta sound like our uncle Jesse." He looked up. Father and daughter were looking at him with identical blank expressions. "As I recall he had the same conversation with you back when you were 17 and fightin fer a later bedtime."
"Ya, but-"Bo blushed. Jessica turned back to her dad; he looked exactly like the cat that ate the canary. He had been busted.
"Ya, but, nothin, Bo." Luke smirked, then suddenly sobered, "Jesse, I need ta talk to your dad for a bit, would ya wait outside? Ya can come back in when we're done."
"Sure." Jessica agreed. "Jist don't forget about me."
Luke smiled slightly, but Bo answered, "Trust me, Jess, there's no way we'll be able to forget about you…I've tried." Which earned him a quick, playful smack from Jessica, "Ow…ow, ow…" he laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "Git out!" he pointed towards the door. Jessica nodded to her uncle before leaving and then started laughing as she closed the door.
Jessica watched the clock like a hawk for the full duration of their conversation, 27 minutes. "Dad?" Bo appeared from the room suddenly with a pale face, "What's wrong?" Bo smile sadly and shook his head, "Nothin, sweetheart. Your uncle wants ta talk to ya. I'll be outside." He bowed his head and took off down the hall, avoiding people's puzzled looks all the way.
"Uncle Luke?" She pushed the door open slightly and called his name. "Come in, Jesse. It's alright." So she pushed the door all the way open and slid in. "Dad said ya wanted ta talk ta me."
Luke nodded slightly and smiled, "I do."
"Ok." She nodded, and then slid into the same chair her dad had sat in minutes before. "Shoot then."
"That's just it, Jesse." Luke laughed weakly. "I can't."
"What do ya mean ya can't?"
"I don't know where to start." He started wringing his hands again.
"Start anywhere, Uncle Luke." Jessica assured, "I'll listen."
Luke smiled, "You're a good kid, Jesse. Your daddy did a good job." Jessica blushed. "An' even though ya tend ta try my patience I still know that. Even though you don't think I do." "Awe, I know, it's no big deal. All parents go crazy sometimes-" Luke cut her off, "No, Jessica, it's not alright." He settled his hands in his lap and stared at Jessica. She was looking back at him with wide eyes. "There was no excuse for my actions tanight, sweetheart." "Of course there was!" Jessica objected. "You were sick." "Jessica," Luke groaned, "Please, jist listen to me, let me speak. The scene tonight, I'm sorry. I'll probably be sorry for it for a long time and nothin' you will say will make it otherwise. I guess it was just the final straw." Jessica's eye brows drew together in confusion.
"I've been havin a dream, kid, a nightmare. For a long time. The same one, over and over. It's one of the reasons I'm here, I know that much. I dream your father's dyin. We're in the hospital, on the day he dies…an after sayin my goodbyes I leave the room. I wake up in a cold sweat after that." Luke figured he'd spare the girl the details of what his goodbye entailed. "That's the reason I snapped at you the day ya hit yur head after runnin after Wally. I had had the dream for the first time the night before and was completely on edge. I would have snapped at anyone and anything. Unfortunately you were the one that crossed the thin line." Jessica's eyes went as wide as saucers. Luke laughed in spite of himself. He saw so much of Bo in her; it was like he was talking to him all over again. "It scared me, Jesse. Ta me, havin' you lyin there like that reminded me of your dad in my dream. I got mad that you were givin up, somethin I think I thought Bo was doin in my nightmare." "I didn't know." Jessica gawked. Luke nodded. "I know. No one knew. Not even your dad, until I told him a couple minutes ago."
He took a deep breath before continuing, "The second reason I'm here is probably findin out that Debbie wants a divorce." Jessica gasped, "Really?" Luke nodded. "I found out a week after I started havin that nightmare. She phoned when your dad and you were in the backyard." "What about-" "Joint custody, sweetheart." Luke cut her off and then smiled. "Then the third and final reason I'm in here is you runnin off and then getting that phone call sayin you were in an accident. It scared 10 years off my life. Especially before Roscoe told me you were alright. I didn't know how I'd tell your dad." Jessica's face fell in shame. "I guess it finally came to a head then and I blew a gasket."
"It's alright." Jessica whispered. She then raised her head and looked at her uncle through her eyelashes, "Would ya like me ta tell ya why I ran off? Don't tell dad though. It'd break his heart."
"Only if ya want to, sweetheart."
Jessica nodded. "It was because of the car."
"What?"
Jessica leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. "I've been havin the same dream since I was 6 years old. Mom and Robbie are standin on the side of the road. Robbie looks like a mini dad and mom looks like a country-ized city girl. They both look exactly like the pictures." She smiled. "All of a sudden that car comes roarin around a corner and swerves on to the soft shoulder, where they're standin, and hits them. I never know what perspective I'm supposed to have, but I always see it like I'm standin on the other side. Everytime I try to run to them to get them out of the way I can't. It's like I'm stuck in place." She took a deep breath. "I'm only allowed to watch my mom and Robbie get run over by that car." she probably never noticed the tears running down her cheeks as she opened her eyes and turned to her uncle Luke. "An when I saw it I freaked. Then when dad said it was mine after I graduated I couldn't handle it and took off."
"Awe, sweetheart." Luke sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, Jessica didn't seem like the 17 year old he knew she was. Her face suddenly took on the appearance of someone 3 times her age. He couldn't blame her for running, not in the least. "Why didn't ya tell anybody? Even me?"
Jessica shrugged and then smiled. A line of tears redirected and ran into the corner of her mouth as she said, "I didn't want to worry anybody. I didn't think it was that big a deal. I didn't know that car was real."
Luke fixed her with a serious stare. "Do you still want it?"
Jessica shrugged again, "I guess, I don't know though."
"The offers always open, sweetheart, don't ya ever think it's closed. Your dad and I loved that car. At the beginning of your parent's relationship I would say Bo loved the General more than Sharleen."
Jessica choked and then started giggling, "That sounds like him." The sobered slightly, "The car's named "The General?"
"Partly, his full name is "The General Lee." Luke informed. "After General Lee of the Confederate army."
"Wow, a car with a better history than just a huge accident and repair portfolio!" Jessica grinned. Luke laughed. "I love To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. She's related to him. I read it somewhere."
"Really?" Luke questioned, "I never knew that."
"Yup!" Jessica grinned. "I wanna ask ya something Uncle Luke."
"Sure, kid, shoot."
"When dad finally leaves, would ya mind if I came to live with you? At least until I know what I wanna do with my life."
Luke gawked for a couple minutes until he could get his vocal chords working again, "Of course I don't mind!" he grinned, "I'd love it! It'd be like livin with Bo all over again."
"Really?" Jessica giggled, "Great! Only I'll be smarter…and female…and shorter than you."
"Ok, kid," Luke laughed, "I get the picture."