A/N: Hi, I'm finally back from vacation! I'll just skip the jabber and get on with the story, so hope y'all enjoy!

Straightening the Curves

Chapter Sixteen: Good News, Good News

Balladeer: While the gang's fightin' for Cooter's freedom in Atlanta, little Chelsea Duke was still fightin' for her life in Hazzard County. That next morning, Bo and Rachel got a phone call at about five o'clock . . .

Bo and Rachel rushed to the hospital. Dr. Reynolds had called them explaining that it was urgent they come right away, but didn't explain why. He only said that it was GOOD news, not bad. That gave some relief to the grief-stricken parents.

They met the doctor in the emergency center of the complex. He had a small smile on his face as they approached.

"Sorry to have scared you both this morning," he began, shaking both of their hands. "But I thought I should let you know that one of my patients I was scheduled to operate on had died overnight, and so that leaves me the availability to begin operating on Chelsea sooner than we'd expected."

Bo would've let out a "yee-haw!" if they hadn't been in a hospital, so he controlled himself and expressed his joy with a giant grin and an eager handshake. "Wow, thanks a lot, doc! This really means a lot to us!"

"You're quite welcome," Dr. Reynolds smiled back. "And since you've already signed the appropriate paperwork that allows me to operate, I can begin right now if you'd like."

"Oh, that'd be wonderful," Rachel smiled, tears coming out of her eyes. "Thank you so much."

The doctors had been in the operating room with Chelsea for almost an hour now. Rachel had begun to pace back and forth in the waiting room, her nerves tangled up in knots over the whole affair. Bo was reading a car magazine that had been lying on the coffee table—well, not exactly reading it. He was just pretending so that it would look like he was calm. Rachel was already anxious enough for the both of them.

"Oh, how much longer will they be in there?" she asked rhetorically, starting to bite her nails down to nothing. "I hope everything's goin' all right."

"Rach, lighten up. The man's done a million of these types of surgeries."

"Not on a premature newborn though! What if they come out an' say they couldn't do it 'cause her heart was too small to work with? What if it's all too much for her to handle? What if she starts bleeding a bunch an'—"

Bo stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "Stop what-if-ing all the bad stuff, you're gonna make yourself sick thinkin' about it." He kissed on top of her head. "It'll be cool, you'll see."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, laying her head on his chest for comfort.

"I'm a Duke—we're all like that. An' Chelsea's a Duke, too. She'll pull through with flying colors."

Another hour passed before finally Dr. Reynolds emerged from the operating room. Bo and Rachel raced up to him as he was taking off his gloves.

"Doc, how's Chelsea?" Rachel asked immediately. "Did she make it? Did you fix what was wrong with her?"

"Chelsea is just fine," Dr. Reynolds assured them with a smile. "She's still knocked out from the anesthesia, although we didn't give her that much due to her tiny size. We patched up the opening in her heart, but we'll have to keep her here for another few days to see if there's any changes in her blood pressure and oxygen levels. If everything checks out, you'll be able to take her home."

"Woo-hoo!" Bo exclaimed, not too loudly though so not to bother everybody. He grabbed Rachel into a big huge hug. "Hear that, honey? She's gonna be all right!"

"Can we see her, doc?" Rachel asked as she was being squeezed to death by her husband.

"Of course."

Chelsea was sleeping peacefully in her closed off incubation crib that she'd been in since she was born. She had little extensions stuck to her chest to monitor her heart rate and other factors. Bo stuck his hand through the small opening at the base of the crib that was used as an air hole. He gently rubbed the baby's tiny hand, which wouldn't have been able to wrap itself around his own adult finger.

"Amazin', that two people can make somethin' so beautiful," he whispered, putting an arm around Rachel. "All the hate that goes on in the world, ya tend to forget about the little things in life that makes it all worthwhile to be alive."

Rachel chuckled. "Look, she's twitchin' her feet in her sleep. They're so cute, bein' little like that."

Bo leaned in a little. "I think she's got my nose."

"No she doesn't, your nose is right here," she said, using her palm to tap him on the nose.

"Real cute."

Balladeer: Bo called up the rest of the family to tell 'em the good news about Chelsea's surgery. Jesse an' Daisy dropped in to take a look at her an' then go have a little celebration party at the new parents' home. Yum-yum, I just love hot chocolate. . .

"Chelsea's only been in the family for about a week an' already she's proven that she's a Duke," Jesse kidded as they all sat outside on the front porch with their steaming mugs of hot cocoa and marshmallows. "She's gonna do just fine."

"I can't wait til' y'all get her home!" Daisy smiled. "Havin' a baby in the family, that's so excitin'!"

Bo took a sip of his cocoa. "I wish Luke were here to see her, though."

"An' I wish my sisters an' Cooter were here, too," Rachel sighed. Heck, nobody in her family had been able to see her!

"They will, don't worry 'bout it, sugar," Daisy assured her, patting her hand. "They'll all be home, soon."

"I wonder how they're doin' in Atlanta with that case," Jesse pondered, looking out into the distance.

"If I know my sister, she's probably kickin' the other team's butt."