A/N - Hello again! It's just me!
I'm happy to say that most everyone remained calm, and no threats were received!
Quick note about the Camellia flower mentioned in here. I'm not familiar with Georgia's plantlife, so I had to look up native wildflowers. I ended up confused since I found it listed on some websites, but not on others. It was so pretty that I wanted to use it, and since it's the state flower of Alabama, I took a chance that it probably could be found next door. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
Thanks again for all the reviews.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.
POT SHOTS
CHAPTER 15
WORSE THAN A BAD DAY
Bo Duke had been living in fear for months, robbed of his innocence and the only life that he had ever known. He'd overcome a lot of obstacles along the way, but the terror was always there, lurking in the shadows. As soon as he saw Charlie's face again it bubbled to the surface, crippling him more than his physical injuries ever had. He was aware of everything that was going on around him, aware that he should have been doing something, but unable to. Though still breathing, a pot shot fired by two men had virtually taken his life. Now, thanks to his own inaction, a deliberate shot fired by the same men had robbed him of something that he loved even more, his cousin.
Bo saw Luke fall backwards, landing next to him. He saw the red staining the plaid material. Knowing that his best friend was dead, he wasn't about to let Charlie desecrate Luke's body with another bullet. Though it was too late, Bo wasn't paralyzed anymore. Lurching forward, he tackled Charlie below the knees, sending him to the ground and the second shot flailing in the air.
Bo wouldn't have had a chance if he'd had to fight standing up. However, with both of them on the ground, the playing field was even. The blonde managed to get on top of the killer, delivering blow after blow. Bo Duke had been forced to develop an immense upper body strength thanks to the man underneath him, and now he was giving him a front row seat for show and tell.
Daisy ran to get the guns. She doubted that Charlie would be making any quick moves after Bo got through with him, but he had already proven that he was determined. Having both of them in her hands, she wondered which cousin she should tend to first. Bo seemed to be doing fine so she decided to let him be. She sensed that this was something her youngest cousin needed to get out of his system so she walked over to Luke, relieved to see him sitting up. There was a rip in his shirt, the blue plaid was now red, and he seemed dazed, but he didn't appear to be seriously wounded.
"You killed Luke," they heard Bo growl, "now I'm gonna kill you."
Daisy and Luke looked at each other. As much as Bo needed to release the rage inside of him to take back his own life, he was being driven by a higher power. They knew full well that in his state of confusion, if Bo believed that Charlie was responsible for Luke Duke's death, he would make good on his threat. They had to stop him before he was the one that ended up in jail.
"Bo! Bo!" Luke called to him, trying to get his attention. Charlie was already beat to a pulp, it wouldn't have taken too much more to finish him off. He hoped that between his voice and Daisy's help, they could reach him. Luke wasn't hurt that badly, but the shot had left him able to use only one arm. Bo was very strong, especially when he was angry, and Luke had never seen his cousin so angry before in his life, not even after being shot himself. "I'm ok, Bo. Please stop," Luke pleaded.
Bo's arm froze in mid air as he listened to the hallucination. Luke couldn't be talking to him, he was dead, yet he'd listen to the devil if it meant that he could still see Luke. Raising his head, he turned toward the voice. "Luke?" he asked, blinking rapidly.
"Yeah Bo, it's ok. I'm ok. It's only a graze," he told him softly, wanting him to stop, but not to return to where he'd been earlier.
"Luke!" he cried, forgetting all about his catch of the day.
In that instant, they discovered that Charlie might have been down, but he wasn't completely out. He raised his fist and struck Bo in the head, on the right side, the site that one of his bullets had already wreaked havoc on. Bo fell on top of Charlie, unconscious.
Luke and Daisy rushed to his side. Charlie was trying to get Bo off of him, and weakly returning some of the punches that his victim had bestowed upon him. He was winning with the jabs, but wasn't having as much luck getting out from underneath Bo's dead weight. Luke was trying to get Bo away from the man as best he could with only one arm, but they weren't getting very far. Charlie struck out and hit Luke, causing him to cry out in pain and fall backwards taking Bo with him. Daisy pulled her arm back, and delivered the knock out punch.
"Luke, ya ok?" Daisy asked as she kneeled next to both of them.
"Yeah."
"Bo, you okay?" Daisy and Luke asked simultaneously, but he wasn't answering. Bo was out cold. They were both worried that Charlie may have done more damage, but neither of them wanted to say anything, thinking that if they said it, it would end up coming true. Bo had come so far that the thought of a set-back was too much to bear.
"Bo! Come on, Bo. Wake up, please," Luke pleaded to no avail.
Sandy, having managed to get Starlight under control, was now sliding off of him. Glancing around, she wasn't sure what had happened. When the horse had taken off, Luke was on the ground and Bo was sitting upright. Now, their positions were reversed.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Charlie hit him," Daisy cried, "in the head, on the right side."
Understanding what Daisy was telling her, Sandy nodded. She didn't want to alarm them, but she knew that it could be serious. Relieved that his pulse was good, she called to him. "Bo? Bo, can you hear me? Wake up, now, ok?" She got the same response Daisy and Luke had gotten.
"Betty Jean! Betty Jean!" Sandy yelled, only to be greeted by silence. "Oh forget it! Daisy, go call for an ambulance. Better make that two, and see if you can find any more rope so we can tie this one up." Sandy instructed. She hated having to send Daisy, but Luke wasn't in any condition to go, and Betty Jean was in her own little world. As the one with the medical training, it made more sense for her to stay in case she was needed.
A few minutes later, Daisy announced that Rosco, Enos, and two ambulances were on the way. Then she handed a piece of rope to the girl with auburn hair, and between the two of them, they made sure that Charlie wouldn't be giving them anymore trouble.
"You know who these guys are?" Sandy asked.
"They're the ones that shot Bo," Daisy told her.
Sandy looked over at the boys. Luke was still holding Bo, and Bo was still unconscious, which she didn't consider to be a good sign. When Charlie started moaning, Sandy lifted him up by the shirt and took her own turn swatting him. "That's for Bo," she told him, sending him back to la-la land.
Charlie and Jack were admitted to the hospital, where Enos was placed on guard. Even handcuffed to their beds, no one was taking any chances on them getting away. Justice needed to be done so that everyone could move forward, and they had a date with a judge. A trial seemed doubtful. Taking a plea was their only hope of ever seeing the light of day again, and that was only if they lived to a ripe old age. The situation wasn't funny, but the logic behind their return was not only misguided, it was comical. They planned on killing to avoid being charged with one count of attempted murder, now they were facing six. Rosco informed them that with thinking like that, they had a bright future ahead of them in the state penitentiary.
On a positive note, Bo and Luke fared better than twiddle-dee and twiddle dum. They were released from the hospital, and by the time night fell on the Duke farmstead both boys were tucked in their own beds. Both refused admittance, and no one wanted them that close to the men who were responsible for their conditions anyway.
Luke had been extremely lucky. The bullet had just grazed him, missing everything that was important. It was painful, but he was spared from having to go through any therapy, himself, although he told Sandy he wouldn't have minded if she had been the one assigned to him.
Bo regained consciousness after arriving at the hospital. The tests they ran didn't indicate any additional damage, and except for a little more stuttering, they didn't think there would be any complications. The doctors attributed his speech difficulties to trauma.
Bo couldn't help but be affected by the events in his life the last few months. No one could live through everything he had and not be. It was hard to fully digest that someone in the world wanted him dead that bad He was still apprehensive, but beating Charlie had been a type of therapy of its own. Knowing that Charlie and Jack were going to jail for a long time also helped. Yet, Bo would never be able to look at the world in exactly the same way, no matter how hard he tried. His ability to walk and talk hadn't been the only thing they'd taken from him. For the first time, he understood why Luke had returned from the war so different.
Being confined to their beds for a few days, and still having them next to each other, the Duke cousins weren't able to hide much from the other. Not having much else to do except sleep, they had all the time in the world to talk, and in this case, that was the best medicine. Bo told Luke for the millionth time that he didn't blame him for what had happened Luke assured Bo that he didn't blame him for getting hurt, either. Under the circumstances, he considered Bo's reaction to be completely normal. He finalized his argument, reminding the younger boy that he had acted when it really counted, thus saving his life.
They couldn't help but smile when they thought about just how great Daisy and Sandy had been. Daisy standing there, calling sweetly to Jack, and Sandy lassoing him was good for a hearty laugh. When it came right down to it, they were the ones who had really saved everyone. Luke reminded Bo that he'd just been sitting there too, when Sandy caught his attention with that glint of sunlight flashing off her buckle. Operation Dukey Freedom was the girls' plan, he had just played the part he'd been given. For once, Luke Duke couldn't take the credit for saving their hides. The glory belonged to the girls, and they needed to find some way to properly thank them. The boys were sure that if they thought about it long enough, they'd come up with something.
That directed Bo's thoughts in another direction, one that he liked much better. The storm was dissipating, but it left him thinking a lot about twisters. He knew that he'd never find anyone else like Sandy. She could round up the FBI's most wanted with one hand and calm a wild beast with the other. He'd been robbed of a lot of things over the last few months, some of which he wasn't sure he'd ever get back. She'd stolen his heart, but that was the one thing he didn't want back. He may have had a little setback, but he knew he was almost recovered, and with that accomplishment, she would be leaving. He didn't want it to happen, but he didn't know how to stop it. No longer so afraid of Charlie and Jack, now he found himself more afraid of what the future held in store for him, or more accurately, what it didn't, namely Sandy Maverick.
While Bo and Luke were restricted to bed rest, Sandy visited everyday, but she and Bo spent less time together. Their schedule had been interrupted, but she wanted to make sure that her patient hadn't suffered a major relapse; a minor one was expected. Her therapy over the days following their little encounter was more TLC than anything else. She knew that Bo was fragile right then, but when she saw him bouncing back, she knew that her days in Hazzard were numbered. She'd already started looking over case files that had been forwarded to her, trying to select her next one after a trip home. She hadn't shared that with any of the Dukes, but she knew that they had to be aware that her time with them was almost over.
Relationships flow through cycles, and as one is ending, it reverts backwards. The people involved start pulling away, becoming more reserved and guarded. It's not a conscious thought; it's a built-in defense mechanism. Sandy understood that's what was happening to her. She also knew that Bo didn't, and it was hurting him. Causing him pain was the last thing that she wanted to do, but saying goodbye was always hard. For his sake, as well as her own, she had to go back into therapist mode. The voice inside her head was silent, and she knew that was because she was doing the right thing for once, for everyone except maybe herself.
As soon as Bo was paroled from his mattress, it was important to get him right back out in the world. Physically, he was fine, but emotionally, the farm could have turned into a safe haven he never wanted to leave. Sandy wasn't going to let that happen. Packing the basket, she took him to the Hazzard Pond, again. He'd always liked it there, and she believed that it was familiar enough not to terrify him. She was delighted when he accepted without hesitation. It would be just the two of them, as Luke graciously declined. She was so busy congratulating herself on her slyness that she failed to think about why Bo was so eager. She never considered that he might have his own ulterior motives.
They'd arrived at their destination, and were all alone by the water. Having devoured their lunch, they were just talking and joking with each other, but no therapy had taken place yet. Bo was sitting upright entertaining Sandy with another tale about life in Hazzard. She was resting on her side, laughing at his story, deciding whether there was any truth to it or he had made the whole thing up.
Her Stetson was tossed aside on the blanket in favor of a new hair accessory. While she and Bo were strolling toward the pond, he stopped suddenly. He asked Sandy to help him keep his balance, scaring her until she saw him reach out and snap off one of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. The wild Camellia that Bo selected was in full bloom, resembling something between a carnation and a peony. Before she could fathom what Bo would want with a poesy, he slipped it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek as he looked into her eyes. It stirred a range of emotions that she couldn't allow herself to feel. Trying to lighten the mood, she placed her own hand over his, but rather than allowing herself to touch him the way she really wanted, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. Flashing a smile, she thanked him and immediately removed the hat she always wore. Camellias and Stetsons just didn't mix, and she liked the flower better, but she couldn't tell him that. She prodded him along before he could do or say something that she wouldn't be able to resist, pretending not to notice the disappointment on his face.
Sandy's mirth faded quickly when she realized that Bo was no longer sharing in it. He was silent and his eyes were glued to her face. She knew what he wanted, she wanted it, too, but she was the trained professional, and it was time that she started acting like it. Summoning every iota of willpower she had, she winked at him. Announcing that it was time to get to work, she hoped that she was doing a better job of hiding her misery than he was his.
Directing his attention to something else he loved, she handed him the guitar then took her normal position behind him. Bo told her he wanted to learn the song that she and Tracey had done at the rodeo, and Sandy was more than happy to teach it to him, giving both of their minds something else to think about. To Bo's ears, they sounded just as good together as she and her friend. He shut his eyes, listening to their voices mix, feeling extremely excited. Without Luke there to help him out this time, he knew he was on his own.
Bo was so lost in his own thoughts and feelings that he hadn't been paying attention. During the course of the song, she removed her hands from his. He played by himself for the first time. When she told him, he couldn't believe it. He was thrilled until he really thought about the implication. It confirmed that her time with him would soon be over.
She was so proud of him, that she wrapped her arms around his waist, despite the fact that she had sworn she had to stop.
"Bo, you really are almost back to normal. You no longer need me," she whispered, trying to ease into the subject that she didn't want to talk about anymore than he did.
He felt the remark like a slap in the face. He turned his head toward her. Their faces were only inches apart. "I'll always need...you," he said. Bo leaned in before she could move away, and his lips found hers. When she didn't resist, he increased the pressure and the intensity of the kiss, raising his hand to caress her face. He surprised himself when he was the one to pull back. He needed to see her reaction.
She was overwhelmed by the power of her own feelings. She found herself looking into his eyes, searching for answers, the same way he was looking into hers.
"You want to...go out with...me?" he asked, "on a date...a real one?"
"I can't Bo, you're a patient," Sandy replied, having regained her senses.
"So?"
"It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be ethical. I'd be taking advantage of you."
"Take advanta...tage of me...please."
"You're a funny man again, Bo."
"Nothing funny about the way...I feel about...you."
Oh God! He'd done it again. With a few simple words, he'd left her speechless and breathless, though she knew that his vocabulary wasn't the only thing contributing to her increased respiration. Sandy gasped. She had no doubt that at the moment, he meant every word, or at least that he thought he meant it, but she believed there could be another explanation, and that was why she couldn't give in to her heart, no matter how wildly it was beating.
Seeing that her guard was down, he added, "I love you...Sandy."
"Oh Bo!" she cried, taking his face in her hands. "One of the reasons that therapists can't date their patients is because many of them think they've fallen in love. It's a normal, and a very common reaction."
"Not for me...I definitely didn't...love Bertha."
"I know, but that was an unusual case, and what she did to you was wrong. When two people work together so hard and for so long, it can cause a dependency. The patient's been through an awful lot, and looks at the person helping them like a savior. The therapist has a tendency to develop very protective feelings for them in return. These feelings can be confused with love or with being in love."
"I know what the...difference is."
"Under normal circumstance, I'm sure you do. You might even know the difference right now, but it would be unprofessional of me to act. Besides, you might know the difference, but right now, I'm not sure I do."
"You do feel it...too, don't you?" he asked, daring to hope.
"Oh yeah, Bo. I feel it, too."
"You love me...or you're in love...with me?"
"I love you, Bo, and I think I'm in love with you, too."
Bo leaned forward and kissed her again, but this time it was a light kiss. "You feel like this...about all your patients?"
"I care about all my patients, but no, I've never felt like this before."
"Good!" he said, shifting so that she was in his arms. He just held her, and she let him, though she knew she shouldn't.
After a few minutes of sitting like that, Bo leaned down. "What if I weren't...a patient?"
"Then I'd kick your butt from here to Amarillo if you didn't ask me out, Bo Duke."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Bo's determination soared through the roof; he'd play it her way. He was already almost completely well. This was going to prompt him to finish the job twice as fast. Before she left, he was gonna ask her for a date, and she was gonna accept, and when it happened, it would be with a fully recovered Bo Duke, the old Bo Duke. He'd do everything he could to make sure she was so in love with him that she'd never leave. Time, however, was not on his side.
The following day when the Camaro drove up, it was much earlier than usual. All of the Dukes were outside and looked at each other. The driver's side door opened, and Sandy got out, but today she didn't toss her Stetson into the back or passenger seat. She couldn't throw it on the seat next to her, there was someone sitting in it. Then that door opened, and a man stepped out.
The Dukes were getting pretty good at being able to spot a Texan a mile away. They all dressed alike in jeans with belt buckles, but that described half the people in Hazzard, too. It was always the hat that was the dead giveaway, and this stranger had on his own version of the Texas cowboy bonnet. He wasn't that tall, not even as tall as Luke, but he was slender and good looking. He had a round baby face, with soft brown hair that was short. The only reason that they could see the color was because his Stetson was tilted back on his head exposing the front bangs. It wasn't curly or wavy. It looked to be straight, and it looked like he normally combed it off to the side, though they couldn't be sure. He leaned against the car door, apparently knowing that Sandy wanted to approach the family by herself.
By now, the Dukes had all gathered next to the steps waiting to see what was going on. Sandy's usual morning greeting and wide smile were missing. Her eyes were downcast, and as she got closer, they could see that they were red and swollen. She looked like she'd been crying all night.
"Good morning," Uncle Jesse greeted her softly, speaking for his entire family. "Is everything all right?"
"I need to talk to ya'll," she said.
"Well ok, here we are. You want to come in the house for coffee so we can sit down at the table? Your friend's welcome to join us," he said, despite the look Bo gave him.
"Ah no, I'm afraid we can't stay." She took a deep breath. "I have to go home," she said, looking at each one of them before stopping to look at her patient. "Bo, I've contacted another therapist who's agreed to finish up with you, at no charge. You're almost done, and I have your crutches in the car. She'll work with you on using them and then working up to a cane, and before you know it, you won't need any help. Your hands and arms are ok, just keep working with them, and the same with your speech. Practice here really does make perfect, and Luke, Daisy, and Uncle Jesse can still work with you, too."
"But...but...I'm not close to being done," he stammered, thinking of anything to say to keep her from leaving.
She laid a hand on his arm, and gave a half smile. "Yeah, you are," she whispered. "Bo, you're the hardest working person I've ever met in my life. There's nothing that you can't do. Remember those bad days that I first promised you?" When he nodded, she continued. "Well, we really didn't have any cause you worked so hard. The good news is that the future will be even better."
"Unless you count...today. This is...worse than a bad day," Bo choked.
"Honey, is everything all right?" Uncle Jesse asked her.
Turning her attention from Bo to the older man, she answered, "my mom died."
"Oh my gosh, we're so sorry," they all told her.
"Thank you," she replied, trying not to cry.
"Well honey, we'll miss you, and we can't tell you how much you mean to us," Daisy said, stepping forward first to hug her.
Uncle Jesse was next. "You take care of yourself for a little while now. You're always so busy taking care of everyone else. You really are very special to us."
Luke didn't think he'd ever find a way to tell her the way he felt. "We love you," he said, as he grabbed her with his good arm. "I love you. I can't tell you how much I love you for giving Bo back to us."
"I love ya'll, too," she confessed, then turned to Bo. He started moving, wanting their goodbye to be in private.
"I'm sorry...Sandy. Is there...anything I can...do?"
"Yes Bo, as a matter of fact there is. Keep working to finish what we started here."
"I will...I promise."
"I believe you," she said.
"Are you coming back?" he asked, wanting a promise, but knowing that he couldn't push her under the circumstances.
"I don't know," she answered, thinking that she'd have no reason to since he was better and would have time to figure out that she had been right about his feelings for her.
"I love you," he told her.
"I love you, too," she breathed.
Bo bent down and kissed her, and she responded, telling the screaming voice in her head to 'go to hell.'
She touched the side of his face after they broke apart, then said they had to go. When they reached the car, the young man tipped his hat. He must have been able to figure out that Bo wouldn't be able to offer a handshake. "Hi. I'm Tim Maverick."
Relieved that it was her brother, her favorite brother, and not a suitor, Bo nodded. "Bo Duke," he said, and the man nodded like he knew him or knew of him.
Sandy got the box out of her trunk that had Bo's crutches, and Uncle Jesse came down and got it. He turned and walked back to the porch, leaving Bo and Sandy to their final few seconds.
"Ready sis?" her brother asked, and she nodded, tossing him the keys.
He went over to the driver's side, but didn't get in right away.
"Bye Bo," she told him, and he bent down and kissed her again. She opened the door and settled herself in the seat.
Bo looked across the hood at her brother. "You take care of her," he told him.
Bringing his hand up to the tip of his hat, he replied, "I will."
Sandy and Bo looked at each other as the rest of the Dukes gathered around their youngest. Tim started the car, and they watched the license plate grow smaller. Just like a real tornado, she had blown into their lives and blown out just as fast, leaving a path in her way.
"I'll call you!" Bo shouted at the retreating vehicle.
Bo stood there staring long after she was gone until Luke walked over and led him back to the house. Bo was sure that he'd wasted the last few months trying to get better. He was positive that his aching heart would kill him right then and there.
