"I'm tellin' ya, it ain't there. I looked all over…"
"What are ya sayin' to me, Pete?" asked the dark haired man, without looking up from the paper he was reading.
"Just what I said, Mr. Jackson. It's gone. Either it never was there or …"
"Or someone else has it…."
"Yes, sir," said Pete, nervously tousling his brown hair.
"Pete, you are as stupid as the day is long! It was there all right… I put the money in that car myself. No, Pete… those two boys… they're the ones with our loot."
"But Mr. Jackson, Marty said he'd take care of 'em when we busted him out…"
"Well, your buddy Marty seems to have dropped the ball!" shouted Mr. Jackson, throwing the newspaper at Pete. "First page… read all about it! Bo and Luke Duke from Hazzard County, Georgia!"
"Mr. Jackson, if they have the money, why would they still be here."
"Don't you read anything but cereal boxes? It's all in there. They were both hurt. Apparently Skorniski left the older boy on the side of the road and took the blond one with him…. not surprising, given the way Marty is… still, they were both hospitalized. The blond is in a coma…"
"But if he's in a coma…"
"It couldn't be easier… you still got that doctor's uniform you used to break out Skorniski?"
"Yeah…"
"Time to go to work, Doctor."
"How is my nephew?" asked Jesse as the doctor entered the waiting room.
"Well, the catheter is inserted. Everything seems to have gone rather well. Now we wait…"
"Wait?"
"As I said, the biggest risks are infection or bleeding… either of which may take days or weeks to discover."
"Weeks," whispered Jesse.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Duke. I wish I had better news for you."
"Yeah," murmured Jesse, "So do I."
The doctor nodded and turned down the hallway.
"Well, I reckon it's time to decide what we're doin' as far as sleepin' arrangements." said Jesse to Luke and Daisy. "We have enough t' cover another week at the motel. After that, well…"
"They can't very well kick us outta a waitin' room, can they?" asked Luke.
"Well, no, but you ain't in no shape t'…"
"I'll be fine, Jesse," promised Luke.
"Alright with you, Daisy?"
"Sure thing, Uncle Jesse."
"Well, then…. I guess we're home…" answered Jesse, plopping himself down on a nearby chair.
Days turned into weeks as the Duke family faithfully kept vigil for Bo in the waiting room. Bo remained unconscious and, although the catheter had served its purpose and reduced the swelling, the family's fears were realized with one word: infection.
"We're doing everything we can, Mr. Duke. He's not responding to the medications. We just need to wait and watch… if the swelling returns…."
"You'll have t' do it all again," finished Luke in a low voice.
The doctor nodded. "In the meantime, you can't stay here. You need your rest, too."
Jesse's face turned as red as his hat. "Doc, how d'ya expect me t' rest when my nephew is in there fightin' for his life?"
Daisy wrapped her arms around Luke and hid her face against his strong shoulder. She had been denying the truth about how bad Bo was… but now Uncle Jesse said the words…and he never lied.
"We ain't leavin' so you can just mosey on back there and…" began Luke, visibly angry.
"Mr. Duke. Let me explain… I've got a friend who is the owner of the hotel just down the street. I explained your situation and he's agreed to put you all up, meals included, for as long as you need it."
Daisy turned around in disbelief. Did she just hear what she thought she heard?
"That's right kind of ya," began Jesse. "But we ain't needin' no charity."
"Uncle Jesse, what are you sayin'?"
"I'm sayin' thank ya, but no."
"Mr. Duke, please don't think of it as charity. Think of it as Northern hospitality."
Jesse sighed. Daisy came up to him and with tears in her eyes, said, "You know what Bo would say."
Jesse nodded slowly. "He'd ask if the hotel had maid service and if she was single."
Daisy couldn't help laughing out loud. Luke smiled a sad smile, wondering if he'd ever hear his cousin flirt with a pretty girl again.
"Alright," decided Jesse. He put his hand out to the doctor. "We thank ya."
"My pleasure." He scribbled an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Jesse. "Everything is all set. They're expecting you. I'll call if there are any changes."
"Thank-you, doctor," said Daisy sweetly as the Duke family made their way to the elevator.
The sixth week came and went uneventfully. Luke's ankle had healed better than expected and his cast was removed. He could walk now, but the doctors had warned him not to do any strenuous activity for a while and Jesse threatened to tan his hide if he caught him running.
The family was in the hotel room, preparing for the daily visit with Bo, when the phone rang.
Jesse picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Mr. Duke, this is Dr. Jamison from West Shore Medical Center."
"Yes, sir?"
"Mr. Duke, it's your nephew…"
"What's wrong with Bo?"
Luke and Daisy stood still, watching Jesse's face for answers.
"Mr. Duke, you need to come as soon as you can…"
"What's wrong with him!" demanded Jesse.
Daisy clutched Luke's hand in fear as tears rolled down her cheeks. Luke's jaw clenched. It couldn't happen…. not to Bo… not to Bo….
"Mr. Duke, just come up and I will explain then."
"We're on our way." He hung up the phone and sat shakily on the bed, composing himself.
"Uncle Jesse, what's wrong!" screamed Daisy.
"We got to go to him, child."
Luke was already in his jacket. Grabbing Daisy's bag and the keys to Enos's car, he rushed his family out the door. Something told him they needed to hurry.
Ya know, this is one time I bet Jesse won't mind if he speeds…
