Hey everyone! (I know, I know) – it's been a week. I'm sorry – I never intended to take this long! Time is simply becoming a rare commodity these days;) I hope ya'll can forgive me:)

Thanks again for the reviews! I've learned something about myself in the last reviews – somewhere along the line, I've developed a reputation as a 'Duke' killer. (Little old me?)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.

UNCLE, UNCLE

CHAPTER 35

INTERNAL CONFLICT

The soles of Bo's boots were being worn down as they traveled back and forth across the floor of the Capitol City hospital; the location alone speaking volumes. After finally getting Luke out of the twisted metal, the EMTs opted to bypass Tri-County in favor of the larger and better equipped hospital despite the extra miles. The workers offered no explanations, and the blonde didn't need any. Hearing the destination, Bo knew that they considered his cousin's injuries to be bad. Luke hadn't regained consciousness, and watching them frantically work on his still form only confirmed the severity of the situation.

Someone told Bo what they would do with the remnants of what had once been their family vehicle. He couldn't have cared less, believing there was nothing much that could be done except to recycle it into aluminum soda cans. He had more important things to worry about: following the ambulance and the whereabouts of his niece.

The trip was slow in spite of the blaring sirens and flashing lights. The debris left behind as mother nature continued to pound the county slowed the emergency vehicle, and Bo had no trouble keeping up with it. Luke was rushed straight to surgery as Bo gave them as much information about Luke's medical history that he could recall. He knew all of it; he just couldn't remember it.

The darkness of the night had long since been replaced by the grayness of the new day. Though no longer a threat, the rain continued to fall outside. Inside, Bo had nursed more coffee, thanks to everyone handing him caffeinated beverages that he really didn't need. Cooter, LB, and a handful of other friends were keeping him company in the waiting room, but Bo felt completely alone. He understood all too well that it was possible he may very well be the last remaining Duke in Hazzard county. Continuing to pace, it had been hours, but Bo still hadn't heard anything, about Luke or Ashley.

"Come on, Bo, sit down, buddy," Cooter softly tried to coax. The family friend also knew that it sounded like Luke was bad, and he had no idea what had happened to Ashley, but having Bo collapse wasn't going to help . "Ya ok?" he added, seeing that his friend wasn't looking that great, himself.

"No, Cooter, I'm not ok. I have no idea what's going on with anyone in my family right now," Bo said half angry, half desperate.

"I know, but not hearing anything, well, that's gotta be a good sign," Cooter replied, trying to think of anything he could to ease Bo's mind, if only for a minute.

Before they could begin arguing, a doctor dressed in green scrubs appeared in the entryway. Bo didn't know him, and although there were other people waiting, the blonde just had a feeling that this doctor was looking for him.

"Luke Duke?" the man called, confirming Bo's suspicions.

"That's us. I'm Bo, his cousin. How is Luke?"

"Lucky. Extremely lucky!" the doctor said, a smile spreading across his face.

Bo's eyes widened in disbelief. The man in front of him obviously appeared happy, and that wasn't what Bo had been expecting. "Really?" he asked, unsure as to whether he should really get his own hopes up too soon.

"Really!" came the confident response.

"If Luke's so lucky, doc, what took so long?" Cooter butted in.

"I have to admit that, at first, we believed we were going to be dealing with much more serious injuries. The worst turned out to be a nasty bleeder that was hard to locate. Finding it was what took so long, and we couldn't stabilize him until we did. It was that catch 22."

"But, you said he was lucky?" Bo asked, not thinking this sounded like great fortune.

"From what I understand of the accident, it should have been a lot worse."

"So he's gonna be alright?" Cooter asked, thinking nothing of joining in what some might consider a private conversation.

"Broken ribs, contusions and lacerations, blood loss, I know it sounds bad, but we could be standing here talking about internal injuries, fractures, and a lot of other possibilities. The biggest concern is that he did just undergo a major surgery, and he was exposed to the elements for so long, that we're hoping that he doesn't develop something like pneumonia. If there's no complications, he should be fine."

"So, in other words, you don't really know?" Bo spat, thinking that you could never get a straight answer from a person who went to medical school.

"We never know, but barring the complications, he should be fine," the doctor repeated.

"Can I see him?" Bo inquired, hoping that was a question that could be answered with a 'yes' or 'no.'

"In a couple of hours. He's still in recovery, and they'll be moving him to ICU, at least until tomorrow." As an after thought, the man in green grinned and stuck out his hand. "By the way, my name is Dr. Sheldon."

"Oh, yeah!" Bo said, grinning slightly in return. They'd bombarded the good doctor to the point that they never did get an official introduction.

"I'll have a nurse come get you when you can see him," he informed them, turning to leave.

"Thank you," Bo called out as he watched him walking away.

Knowing that Luke wasn't home free, Bo had to admit that the news he'd received wasn't what he'd been expecting. After several hours of pacing and worrying, it was like part of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The news should have allowed him to breathe a little easier, but he wasn't having much luck in that area, and he knew he wouldn't until the other member of his family had been located, and was safe.

"Come on Bo, now you can sit down. Ya can't see Luke for a couple of hours, and ya can't keep wearing a hole in their floor. They're gonna send you a bill for it," Cooter joked.

Giving in, the blonde nodded in agreement, and even chuckled at his friend's observation. Bo was about to let Cooter lead him over to a chair when a movement caught his attention. Looking in the direction of the disruption, Bo saw someone he recognized: Rosco P Coltrane. Appearing very much like a sheriff in charge, the Duke's old nemesis was escorting his charge. Leading the way, Rosco's hand was on the back of one very wet Ashley Marie Duke.

Bo stood frozen in his spot, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. She resembled a drowned rat, and her eyes were red and swollen, but she appeared to be in one piece. Finally able to take a deep breath, Bo silently said a prayer of thanks; his family had been sent back to him. Dark blue eyes misted over, but the large brown ones of the family were downcast.

As Rosco inched her closer, Ashley finally allowed herself a quick glance at her beloved uncle. Once she did, she couldn't hold back anymore. Sprinting away from the lawman, Ashley ran into the waiting arms of Bo. Once there, he encircled her, hugging her so tightly that she started having difficulty breathing. She didn't care. Ashley wouldn't have traded that feeling for anything else in the world. In either of her uncles' arms, she felt safe. She said nothing; she simply cried, and Bo didn't even bother to try to hold his in check as a few stray tears seeped out. Continuing to hold her, Bo stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

Rosco walked up next to them. "How's Luke?" he asked.

"Doc says he thinks he'll be ok," Bo replied.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that," Rosco offered, playing with the hat he'd removed from his head. "Ah Bo, I need to talk to ya for a minute," Rosco stated, nodding to a private corner at the other end of the room.

"Okay," Bo agreed. "Ashley, you stay here with Cooter and LB. I'll be right back," he told her, sitting her down in the chair he'd originally planned on taking. Following Rosco, he knew that something wasn't quite right. "Thank you, Rosco, for finding her and bringing her back. Where was she?"

"Well, see, that's what I needed to talk to ya about. That little party that Bobby Nickerson threw, well he had it up at a still site that we didn't even know about. Ya know that family, there was drinking going on, and well things got out of hand. Now, I smelled alcohol, but the Lewis girl claims that it was spilled on them. With the rain and the amount of time, I'm inclined to believe her, but Gabby said some other things, too."

"Like what?"

"Well, she said that a few of the older boys got a little rough with them."

"You don't mean?" Bo asked, hoping that Rosco wasn't trying to tell him what he thought he was trying to tell him.

"No, no. I asked them and they said no, but well, they were shook plenty good. I found em out wandering along Highway 34 on foot, upset and wet. Once they both calmed down, I asked them bout what happened. They wouldn't give me any real details or names, so I can't arrest anyone, but I just thought you should know."

"Thank you. I really appreciate this."

"Well, I gotta get back. Cletus is on patrol alone, and neither of us has slept. Hope everything goes well with Luke."

"Thanks again," Bo offered.

Taking a minute to compose himself, Bo sighed as he watched the aging sheriff depart. Though Boss Hogg had still tried, on occasion, to get his hands on their land, since they'd paid him off all those years ago, his schemes had never really been a threat. Having been entrusted with Ashley, he and Luke had been forced to really grow up, so the law in Hazzard and the Dukes had been on civil terms for quite some time. Still, it didn't seem like all that long ago when things had been very different, especially himself.

Slowly turning back to his friends and niece, Bo saw Cooter offering the teenager a cup of hot soup that he'd gotten out of one of the vending machines. LB had thrown his own coat over her shoulders. She was sipping her drink, but her head was cast down. Taking in another deep breath, the youngest uncle slowly walked over to her.

Assuming that Rosco must have had disturbing news to share with Bo, since he didn't want to say it in front of everyone, the friends that had been keeping vigil scattered about. Bo lowered himself into the chair next to his niece, and laid his hand on her back. That was all it took.

"Oh, Uncle Bo, I'm so sorry!" she cried, leaning into him.

Bo tightened his grip on her, leaning close to her ear. "Ashley, I need for ya to tell me the truth now about what happened. I need to know that you're ok, really ok? Those boys didn't………hurt you, did they?"

"They tried…….to……tried to…….make us……drink that stuff….and they grabbed us……..but……..…I kicked Bobby right where...….you always said to……..and it worked……..gave us enough time……to get……away."

Rubbing her back while he held his shaking niece and listened to her sobs, Bo began feeling a wide range of different emotions. Some he understood, others he did not. Some he could identify, others he couldn't. Of course, he was relieved and grateful that his niece was back safe and sound. Having been given his cousin and his niece back in the last hour, Bo should have been feeling nothing but gratitude and joy, yet something inside of him was far from happy. It didn't make any sense, and he couldn't even explain it. It was affecting him, however. Despite physically comforting Ashley, there was something lacking in his response to her; he could feel it.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Bo!"

"I know you are," Bo replied, believing that she was, but unable to offer her the instantaneous absolution that he knew she was looking for.

"You were right! You and Uncle Luke were right!" she cried.

At the mention of Luke's name, Bo's indescribable feelings began growing stronger, and as they grew, one suddenly had a name: anger. Pushed to the backburner, it had continued to simmer, and the mention of his cousin's name was now pouring fuel on it.

"Is Uncle Luke gonna be alright? What happened?" Ashley asked, finally acknowledging that she was not the only one that something bad had happened to that evening. Rosco had told her that her uncle had been hurt in an accident, but that was all she knew.

"What happened?" Bo repeated, his niece's innocent question taking on the form of a trigger mechanism. "What happened?" he asked again, this time screaming loud enough to draw everyone's attention to himself as the impending explosion detonated. "I'll tell ya what happened. Thanks to your little disappearing act, Uncle Luke went out in that storm to look for ya, and he slid off the road."

"I'm sorry Uncle Bo. I'm really, really sorry!" Ashley kept repeating.

Jumping up out of his chair, Bo glared down at her. "Ashley, sorry ain't gonna cut it this time. You were lucky, and Luke could have……….." Bo stopped himself from saying more. The stress and worry of the last several hours had finally caught up with him. His ranting had once again made it difficult to breathe, but he was also horrified. Of course, Bo knew that even if Luke had been killed, it would not have been Ashley's fault; it was an accident. His brain knew that, but in his heart, he couldn't help but want to assign blame, and at the moment, it didn't make any difference whether she had done it on purpose or not. He didn't want to feel this way; he knew he shouldn't. Now, he just had to get his heart to listen to his head. Making a motion with his hand, Bo whispered, "gotta get some air." He had to get a grip on himself before he said or did something that he would regret forever.

Despite the rain that still fell, Bo Duke rushed to the hospital entrance and walked outside. Letting the rain fall on him, he looked to the heavens, wondering if the shambles of what was his family could ever be put back together again.