Author's Notes: Well, everyone, I realized at about midnight last night just how very very foolish I have been, because here I am posting Chapter 3 and I haven't yet thanked my industrious and incredible helpful beta-reading staff! (Yes, y'all are officially a staff now) - so, in alphabetical order, my extreme thanks to Brenda, Fanficfan, and Flynne, who have all provided great feedback and helped me work out the kinks in this beast.
Now, if you're keeping track, the formatting in this chapter changes - in Ch. 1 & 2, "Now" was in italics, and "Then" was in plain text, and now it switches, because you get the whole story of what's happened, and the rest of the story is "Now". So if you're interested in reading the sections in order as they happen chronologically, it goes: Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3. Confused?.. :-P Enjoy!
Chapter 3: That Word
NowDaisy walked with Luke back through the front entrance of the hospital, both worried and miserable, though it was difficult to tell which cousin was taking this hardest. Daisy had burst into fresh tears when Luke and Jesse first arrived in the emergency room, and Cooter had to explain all that happened while Jesse comforted his niece. She still wasn't convinced that it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't have done anything, but Cooter and her family all did their best to show her otherwise. She only had to look at the blood on her clothes to feel that awful guilt.
For his part, Luke blamed himself for not being there. He knew what Uncle Jesse would say - if he'd been there, it would only have been him in the hospital, not Bo - but that didn't help, because he'd prefer it that way. From the day six-month-old Bo, three-year-old Daisy, and four-year-old Luke had been brought to live together with Uncle Jesse and Aunt Martha, it had been Luke's self-determined duty to protect his younger cousins. Yesterday, he'd failed - and oh, how he'd failed! Luke could forgive himself some mistakes, some weaknesses, some accidents, but not this one.
These were the thoughts of the Duke cousins as they entered the hospital and stood in the elevator going to the sixth floor. Daisy held Luke's arm, not because he needed it but because she drew on the solid strength she found there. They'd hardly spoken all through the slow meal at the diner, and they didn't speak now, together but alone all at once. The elevator ding!'d at the sixth floor and the doors slid open. The Duke cousins stepped out and stared at the flurry of activity on the floor. The hall had been whisper-quiet and empty when they left two hours ago; now it was busy, noisy, and full.
No less than four Georgia state troopers stood around the door to Bo's room. Two stood guard at the shut door, while one was speaking with a cluster of microphone- and camera-equipped reporters, and the fourth was arguing heatedly with Jesse Duke and Cooter Davenport at the other end of the hall.
"Folks, folks, please…" the one trooper was saying to the reporters, who quieted as he raised his hands. "Beauregard Duke has in fact been charged in connection with the armed robbery at the First Hazzard Bank yesterday morning, and he is wanted…he is wanted for questioning," the man had to repeat himself over the rising tide of questions from the press, "regarding the Macon and Savannah robberies. That is all I can confirm at this time."
"Officer Canaan! Officer Canaan!" one reporter spoke up above the rest. "Why has it taken so long for charges to be filed in this case? This hardly speaks well for the district court, considering the recent Bakerton Scandal."
With an expression of practiced patience, the officer answered carefully. "There were some communication difficulties between the Hazzard and Capitol City offices, which have since been cleared up. Both the district court and the state police have the full cooperation of the departments involved. Please, next question."
"What about the rumors that Mr. Duke's accomplice in the robberies remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous?"
Standing frozen by the elevators, Daisy immediately looked up at Luke, who was rapidly trying to process what he was hearing.
"We are currently questioning members of the Duke family for further information. However, there is no reason for the public to fear at this time…"
At the far end of the hall, Jesse's argument with the fourth trooper came to an abrupt halt when the Duke patriarch looked up and saw Luke and Daisy standing there.
"LUKE, RUN!" Jesse shouted.
Luke took two uncertain steps backwards as all eyes turned to him. The troopers' expressions confirmed his uncle's command - clearly they were past 'questioning' and on to the 'arresting' stage of the proceedings. He turned and bolted for the stairwell.
Two of the troopers followed, shouting after him, but he had already cleared two flights of stairs before they fought their way past the crowd of reporters and Daisy. Moments later Luke cringed as gunshots ricocheted in the metal stairwell, but none came close to him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he dodged past hospital security coming through the second-floor door. He hit the exit door with the force of a linebacker, bursting out into the afternoon sunlight.
Once outside, there was no catching up with Luke. He bolted across the parking lot and dodged through traffic to reach the parking garage on the other side of the road. The General was parked on the first floor not far from the exit, and he pulled out the keys as he ran, making a swift leap inside. With the pair of troopers gasping to catch up on foot, Luke gunned the engine, reversed, and was soon roaring off onto the main road.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he heard sirens and saw flashing blue lights rapidly coming up behind him - the cavalry had been called. However, the afternoon traffic was light, and Luke only had to make it to the outskirts of the city. There, his skill and the General's superior horsepower and speed would make short work of losing the fuzz on the winding dirt roads, especially now, when his short nerves added an edge to his honed ability.
For once, events played out exactly as Luke planned. The General found the wooded dirt roads without mishap, and those troopers who weren't lost along the side-turns and shortcuts were sent skidding off the road as they attempted speeds and maneuvers beyond their ability. Luke soon found himself alone on a winding country lane, with not a soul ahead or behind. His mind raced at speeds the General could never match, trying to determine the best course of action, while his hands and feet drove on autopilot.
It was a good ten minutes before Luke realized he was heading back towards Hazzard. He'd already decided that was a bad idea - Rosco and Enos would be looking for him, and the rest of the county knew him and the General on sight. The Duke farm would certainly be watched, if nothing else. But he couldn't go back to Capitol City and the hospital either, not while the state troopers were swarming like an angry hornet's nest. At least it seemed like Uncle Jesse and Daisy were alright - they wouldn't be arrested, he was pretty sure - and Cooter was there with them.
Cooter! Luke debated the idea that occurred to him. Usually the Davenport farm would be the last place he'd run when he was in trouble, because it would be the first place anyone would look, but this time it seemed the lesser of many dangers. If he could reach Cooter's home undetected, it would be a relative haven until he could sort out his options and contact Uncle Jesse. Plus, if Rosco knew Cooter was with the Duke family at the hospital, he might not have bothered to put a watch on the place. That settled it - Cooter's it was.
With the decision made and the adrenaline rush fading, Luke was left with the rest of his thoughts in the silent car and the empty roads, and that wasn't a good thing. Usually, when he was upset, racing along the dusty roads in the General was a comfort, releasing pent-up frustration through speed and skill. Not now. Now his imagination took over, and though he hadn't been there, he could see it over and over, with every glance out the right window, just as Cooter had described.
Then
The attempt to capture the Flanagan brothers at their dilapidated hideout had quickly turned into a shootout and a chase. Though the General was spared, one of Cooter's truck tires was shot, so Bo, Daisy, and Cooter all climbed into the orange Charger to follow the thieves. They took off, Bo at the wheel and hot on the brown sedan's tail. The Flanagans' car was deceptively fast for its mundane appearance, and it was soon apparent that the drivers were too evenly matched for skill. There would be no outpacing or forcing the Flanagans off the road. Instead, Daisy took over driving, while Bo scooted across the passenger side.
"Pull it in closer!" Bo told her, pulling himself up to sit on the doorframe, wind whipping at his hair. The brown sedan slammed into the General, scratching the paint and denting the door, but Bo held firm. Daisy eased the orange car closer.
"Be careful, Bo!" Cooter called from the back seat.
Bo just grinned back at him before climbing out onto the roof of the General, and all they saw was his fingers curled around the window frame. Then with one mighty leap, he jumped, and landed square on the sedan's roof. The General stayed neck and neck with the sedan, flying down the dirt road, and Daisy gave David Flanagan no room to shake her cousin off. The robbers had already used up all their bullets, but the man was a furious driver, raised on the same Hazzard roads as the Dukes. Bo clung tenaciously to the sedan's roof for several minutes as they raced along the dirt road, around each wind and curve. He held on tight, nearly slipping, as they reached the paved Highway 7, and both cars swung sharply north. Daisy was hard-pressed to match the speed of the sedan down the straightaway, despite the General's horsepower.
Come on, Bo! Get out of there, it's not worth your life! she thought, watching the needle on the speedometer go higher and higher. It was, though, if he didn't want to spend the next twenty years in prison. As the cars steadied, Bo reached down to open the passenger-side door. The driver took advantage of his opening and wildly flung the car into a swerve, slamming into both the General and the dirt embankment on the right. One-handed, Bo had no chance. He lost his grip, and Cooter and Daisy watched in horror as he was thrown from the back of the sedan, hitting the pavement hard and rolling several times before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. Daisy slammed on the brakes, leaving a black streak of rubber on the pavement, and ignored the escaping thieves. Cooter was close behind her as she ran for her unmoving cousin, and she choked back a sob when she kneeled beside him and found him alive.
"Cooter! Call an ambulance!" she cried. The mechanic could see blood and bone and ragged clothing, and his heart pounded in his chest as he ran back to the CB in the General. He watched anxiously while he spoke into the mike, and in moments an ambulance was on the way. This side of Iron Mountain, the C.B. would never reach Hazzard or the Duke farm, so the call to Jesse would have to wait. Thirty feet away, Daisy was leaning over Bo's long, still form, saying something to him softly, too soft for Cooter to hear. Then the mechanic was at her side, kneeling next to Bo, not daring to touch him, not noticing the blood that soaked into the knees of his grease-stained coveralls. The wait seemed interminable, hours, an eternity, but was really only a matter of minutes. Then the ambulance came, and Daisy went with them. Cooter was left behind with the General, a pair of long black tire marks, a spreading red stain on the pavement, and very bad news to deliver.
Now
Luke was at the Davenport farmhouse before he even realized it, cruising up a side road that bordered the northern boundary of the property. He found an overgrown track he knew quite well, leading to a clearing surrounding by thick, tall bushes - here was where he'd hid his old car or Uncle Jesse's pickup when he came to visit after school instead of going home to do chores, or where the boys would gather to plan revenge on an ex-boyfriend of Daisy's who broke her heart, or a few dozen other clandestine activities that Mr. Davenport never saw because he minded his garage and not his farm.
Luke parked and climbed out of the General, tiredly gathering branches to obscure the General from prying eyes as an extra precaution. He was still feeling the residual ache of the flu, on top of the sleepless night spent in the hospital fraught with worry and fear. He hadn't managed to eat much at the diner, and his leaden limbs felt the shortage of energy. At least his mind was occupied for a while yet, while he carefully made his way through the trees to the edge of the field. From a distance he looked all around the fields and farmhouse for a sign of Rosco or Enos, but saw none, not even a Coltrane-attempt at camouflage while he dangled from a tree like a possum.
Luke found the farmhouse empty and undisturbed when he let himself in with the spare key. Cooter was rarely here except to sleep, and his brothers had opened up garages elsewhere, leaving Ma Davenport three homes to rotate between. Luke headed for the living room and sat down heavily on the couch. The lonely silence of the farmhouse echoed in his ears, and his eyes strayed over the furniture and floor.
His turmoil of thoughts was interrupted as his sight fell on the stairs leading up to the second floor, where Cooter's bedroom and a few guest rooms lay. God, Bo, Luke thought suddenly, and the tears he'd been fighting to hold back welled in his eyes. He refused to let them fall, instead leaning back against the cushions and closing his eyes against the pain.
'Nah, I'm all set' Bo had said, still grinning from Rosco's rebuke, and then walked out. Warm tears trickled down Luke's face, but he didn't notice. He was thinking of Bo's hand on the hospital bed, his left hand on his unbroken arm, limp and cold. For just a few moments that afternoon, Bo had looked up at him beneath long eyelashes, with blue eyes that still trusted him and looked to him for protection. Then those blue eyes had sleepily closed again without a word. Luke held his hand, but there was nothing, no response, not a twitch, just cold. He'd heard the doctor say it to Uncle Jesse, out in the hall earlier that morning, thinking Luke was asleep…that word…paralyzed.
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It was dark and growing cool outside when Luke opened his eyes. It was four or five hours since he'd dozed off, though at some point he'd woken long enough to stretch out more comfortably on the couch. Pushing aside one of Ma Davenport's knitted blankets - where had that come from? - Luke sat up, rubbing his eyes. He still felt the weight of fear and worry in his chest, but the short rest had calmed his nerves and cleared his head - not to mention, refreshed his appetite.
Sniffing the air, Luke realized the light was on in the kitchen, and someone was moving around quietly, humming a tune. The humming stopped as a figure came to the doorway and carefully looked in, and Cooter gave Luke a friendly smile.
"I was wonderin' when you'd wake up, buddyro'. Hungry?"
Luke stood and followed the mechanic into the kitchen, squinting against the bright light. He pulled up a chair at the table, watching while Cooter drained off a small pot of spaghetti and checked on a pan of sauce. Though the bachelor was no gourmet chef, he was a fair cook, one of the few among their friends who could manage not to burn water.
"How long have you been here?" Luke asked, stretching.
"Oh, two hours maybe." Cooter handed his friend a plate and silverware, and set his own on the table. "When we heard you got away, Uncle Jesse sent me to see if I could find you. Enos is watching the farm, and Rosco's been all over the roads looking for you. Jesse and Daisy were worried."
"I ought to call them."
Cooter shook his head. "Naw, those badges are listening in on the lines by now. I called 'em earlier - don't worry, they know you're safe." He carried over the pasta and sauce and went back to the 'fridge for the jug of milk.
"How's Bo?"
The question made Cooter pause. He shook his head, bending to look in the 'fridge. "Same as before. Last I heard, the docs want to take him into surgery again in the morning. There's guards on the door, but they aren't keeping us from seeing him."
Luke nodded, dourly reflecting on how pointless the guards were for a man who couldn't run away, but didn't comment.
Cooter joined him back at the table, pouring a glass of milk for them both. "I'd offer you a beer, but I didn't figure…" he trailed off.
Luke shrugged. Alcohol didn't mix well with fugitive status, and his recently ill body wouldn't take it well anyhow.
After a silent grace and the first few bites of the meal, Cooter spoke again. "So, what do you reckon on doing?"
Luke chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before answering. The answer was much clearer now than earlier. "The only thing I can do."
The mechanic nodded agreement. "Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want, since Rosco's not watching the place, and…" He stopped when he saw his friend's perplexed expression.
"Cooter, I'm not hiding," Luke clarified. It was Cooter's turn to look confused. "I'm going hunting."
The mechanic's jaw dropped - Luke wasn't talking about hunting boar. "Luke, I'm upset about Bo and everything too, but that's no reason…"
"I'm not gonna hurt them, Cooter!" Luke cut him off with a shake of his head. "Well, not much, anyhow, considering what they did. There's no way to clear Bo's name without Joel and David Flanagan and the money they stole. And you're not gonna tell Uncle Jesse or Daisy - I don't want them to worry."
"You think they're not gonna worry if you disappear without a word?"
"What else should I do? It's not like I can go back to the hospital, or even call in to talk to them. I can't even be there for Bo!"
Cooter could hear the angry edge in his voice, and he had nothing but sympathy for his friend. However, going after the Flanagan brothers alone was just too dangerous, and he said as much. Luke just shook his head, staring at his glass as he toyed with it.
"Look, Lucas, how 'bout you spend the night here and sleep on it, and if that's still your plan in the morning, I'll sneak you into the city so you can tell Daisy and Uncle Jesse," Cooter offered.
Luke sighed, thinking it over. Cooter was relieved when he reluctantly agreed. Jesse, at least, could talk some sense into him.
The boys finished eating in silence. Luke took care of the dishes and leftovers, mostly to have something to keep his hands busy. Before long, Cooter was yawning, having spent the same long night and day at the hospital as the Dukes. Sitting in the living room, Luke waved goodnight as Cooter climbed up the stairs to go to bed. The eldest Duke cousin knew his own way around the Davenport home, and would seek one of the guest rooms when he was tired again. For now, he stared vacantly across the room, deep in thought.
Now, y'all oughta recognize that expression - that means a plan's cookin' in that boy's head. I wonder what he's got in mind?