As soon as they had arrived at the hospital, Luke had contacted Roscoe at the jail and told him all about the state policemen that was supposed to be meeting them at Cooter's farm sometime in the near future. Roscoe said that he'd send Cletus out there to meet him, and that he'd see to it that those crooks got wht they deserved.

Ole Roscoe can be a right decent guy, when the mood hits him.

Luke thanked him and hung up the phone. They then had nothing to to but wait. They waited for hours and still had not been given any information regarding Bo's condition. Uncle Jesse sat between Angel and Daisy. Daisy's head was resting on his shoulder, and Angel was busy gnawing her fingernails into non-existence. Cooter and Luke were also busy wearing their own personal paths into the carpet of the waiting room. Finally, they all snapped to attention as a doctor entered the room.

"Is the family of Beauregard Duke here?"

Uncle Jesse stood up. "Yes. I'm his Uncle, Jesse Duke."

"Hello, Mr. Duke. I'm Dr. Carnegie."

"Hello, Doctor. How's Bo doin'?"

"Well, we took him into surgery to remove the bullet and repair the damage. To be honest, things didn't look good at first, but you're nephew is very strong. He pulled through the surgery and is now in Intensive Care. We'll be monitoring him for a while to see to it that he doesn't develop any other complications, so he's not out of the woods yet, but I believe with the proper treatment and some rest he should be on his way to a full recovery."

"Thank the Lord! Can we see him now?"

"I think it would be okay, but only for a short period of time and only the immediate family. I understand his two cousins are here?"

"Yes. This is Luke and Daisy Duke."

"I'll allow them to enter, but I'll have to ask these other two to wait here."

Cooter opened his mouth to protest when Jesse cut him off. "These two are family. They're as much family as me, Luke, or Daisy. If they want ta see Bo, I'm not gonna let you or anybody else stop them."

Carnegie looked from Jesse to Cooter and Angel. He could see the determination in Jesse's eyes. He had delt with family members like this before and decided that this time it was best not to argue. He nodded his head and allowed all of them to pass.

"Now, don't stay too long. I don't want you to wear him out. He was awake when I last saw him, but he's probably not feelin' well right now. He may be feelin' groggy, nauseous, or even cold. Those are the effects of the anesthesia. Be aware of his injuries an' don't let him move around. You can go on in now."

They entered Bo's room and approached his bed. He had numerous bandages wrapped around his stomach and his skin looked extremely pale in contrast to his hair. He turned his head a little and smiled when he saw his family standing there.

Daisy walked over to him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Honey, how are ya feelin'?"

"Like..I fought..a losin' battle..with Maudine." He joked and was rewarded with chuckles from everyone else.

"Well, don't get into no more fights with her. You scared us all ta death." Luke stepped up.

"Sorry..'bout that...cousin. What happened...ta those guys?"

"Don't worry Buddy Roe. Roscoe is actually doin' somethin' right for once. He's sendin' them with the state police. They'll get what's comin' to 'em."

Bo smiled. "That's good. I'm glad...ta see ya'll. But where..is Angel?"

Uncle Jesse looked back and saw Angel hovering about the door. He walked over to her and led her up to Bo's bedside. It's not that she didn't want to see Bo, it's just that she didn't want to see him in his present condition. Hooked up to multiple machines and all bandaged up, he looked weak and helpless. She shyly looked up at him and then back down at her feet. Bo faintly heard her utter a frail "Hi."

"What's wrong...darlin'?"

"Nothing. I just don't like this place."

"Well, that makes two of us."

Angel looked back up at him. She was beginning to feel a little more comfortable, but she still felt guilty for putting Bo there in the first place. Bo seemed to know what she was thinking. She saw Bo give her a stern look and then turn his attention to the others.

"Uncle Jesse...I do believe..that Angel..blames herself..for this, and I think..we need ta..correct her."

"I think you're right Bo! Why that's the most outrageous thing I'ver ever heard of. Angel, you listen to me. We don't blame you for any of this! Livin' in this county, we get used to this kinda stuff! It happens more than you know. It was worse than usual this time, but we still ain't sayin' that it's your fault. So I don't wanna hear anything about you blamin' yourself."

Everyone else voiced their agreement. She looked among them and saw that they really didn't blame her. She felt more at home than ever. She gave Bo a careful hug and then the doctor came and told them that Bo needed to rest now. Bo complained that he felt fine but the doctor wouldn't hear it. He told the others they could return tomorrow and ushered them out, promising to be back tomorrow.

Them Dukes stick tighter together tighter than glue. Well, it looks like Bo is alright for now, let's just hope he stays that'a way.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I'm not a medical expert and everything in this chapter that was medical I made up or attempted to look it up, so I hope that went alright. I'm going to try to update as much as possible this week because next weekend I'll be at DukesFest! I'm so excited!