A/N: Hey all, we're back again with another chapter for you. We're both glad to hear that your enjoying the story, keep letting us know!

Keep it 'tween the ditches and please R&R :-)

The next morning, Cooter's tow truck could be seen pulling into the Duke Farm yard. He stepped out the cabin of the truck and looked around, smiling as he saw the General's hood up and a pair of legs sticking out from beneath the orange stock car.

Usually, Cooter would have wasted no time in creeping up and scaring the living daylights out of Luke, but he didn't exactly want to go through with Luke what he had done with Bo the day before. So as he approached, he called Luke's name, and by the time he reached the car, Luke was on his feet, wiping off his hands and pulling his shirt back on.

"Hey Cooter."

"Hey Lukas. How's the invalid this mornin'?"

"He's sulking last I saw. When we got in yesterday, Uncle Jesse gave him a long lecture and told him he ain't to move from his bed until the Doc comes round and tells Jesse it's safe ta."

Cooter gave a low whistle, knowing that even though the doctor had already told Bo that, hearing it from Uncle Jesse too would sting quite a bit and put Bo in an even fouler mood.

Bo just wasn't one to take orders about staying in bed very well. He knew that from long years spent around the Dukes. It had been interesting times, and never boring, especially when Bo was just a small kid down with the flu. He didn't like it to be left on his own when Luke and Cooter was out having fun.

"Can I play with ya?"

Luke looked up to see a small boy standing there, wearing only his pyjamas. He was barefoot and his nose was so stuffed it was hard to hear what he was saying. Luke and Cooter was playing ball, Luke was pitching while Cooter was hitting, and Bo was sick.

Jesse had told them how he had the flu, and couldn't get out of bed. Of course Bo wasn't very fond of the idea, and he kept going against his uncle's word and getting up, especially since Cooter came over, Bo just couldn't get it into his head that he wasn't allowed to play with them.

"No Bo, git back ta bed." Luke told him.

"I dun wanna." Bo pouted. "I wanna play with ya."

"Ya sick Bo, ya can't play with us right now." Cooter intervened. "We can play with ya later when ya get better."

Bo shook his head. "I don't feel sick Cooter it's so boring to be in there, I dun wanna."

"Ya still gotta git back in there afore Uncle Jesse finds ya." Luke told him.

Jesse had already caught him out of bed several times. Every time he said that it was just Bo being sick that kept him from taking him to the woodshed. Bo just plain refused to accept the fact that he was feverish and shouldn't be up.

He was bored, and so he kept sneaking up whenever Jesse wasn't looking. The fact that he was out in his pyjamas and barefoot made Luke want to send him back inside.

"But it's boring." Bo whined.

"We can come in and play something with ya later." Cooter offered.

"I dun wanna play a game later." Bo whined, knowing they meant a game of checkers.

"I wanna play with ya."

Luke sighed; there just was no way to reason with Bo. "If ya don't git back inside right now, I'm gonna go and fetch Uncle Jesse."

Bo pouted but headed back inside and Luke still knew it was just a matter of time before he got back up.

Bo just never could settle for having to stay in bed for even a day or two.

"Bet he didn't like that none."

"Dang right he didn't….I caught him this mornin' tryin' ta climb out the bedroom window."

"Tryin' ta…! Didn't he listen to a word Jesse and the Doc said!"

Luke pressed a finger to his lips and made a shhh noise, gesturing to the closed, and Cooter suspected, locked bedroom window. He pulled Cooter gently over to the barn, closing the door.

"Listen, Bo's real worried about this race. He feels like he's the only one who can get the money we need to save the farm by doin' this. He's tryin' ta prove that he's alright so he can race and win and spare us the pain of losing the farm."

"Take it ya done some serious talkin' with him?"

"Nope."

"Well then how d'ya know that?"

Luke was silent for a moment, looking back at the house wistfully.

"Because if I was in the same position, I'd be feelin' and tryin' ta do the same thing."

Cooter sighed and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. The Duke's had been his family ever since he had met Luke in school, and he hated when something got them so down and glum.

"Luke, there ain't nothin' Bo can do at the moment to help out 'cept get better. He's got to realise that sometime if he hasn't already. Meanwhile…"

"I know, we's got to find out if this race is legit. Have you heard anythin' in your garage?"

"Nope, not a word, which is unusual 'cause any type of race always gets people comin' in and askin' for tune-ups an' the like. Guaranteed most of the time, it's you two with the General, but I'm sure I woulda heard somethin'…"

Before the words could leave Cooter's mouth, Luke already knew what he was going to say. This race couldn't be legit, not if Boss Hogg wasn't advertising it like there was no tomorrow and no one else was talking about it. A race this big couldn't be kept quiet by the people of Hazzard for so long when there was so much money going as the prize. He looked solemnly back at Cooter.

"I know what you's thinkin' Cooter, but I want ta make sure that what we think is true 'afore I say anythin' ta Bo. Unless I got proof he'd never believe me, ya have to show him the evidence."

Cooter nodded grimly.

"Well then what's we waiting fer? Let's get out there and fix this 'afore it gets too out of hand."

"Alright, you take yer truck and look in town; I'll head over to the race tracks and ask some of our friends if they's heard anythin'. Meet at the Boar's Nest in say….two hours?"

Cooter nodded and ran to his truck, powering up the engine quickly and speeding off, praying that this wasn't what him and Luke thought it was.

Luke quickly ran inside the farm house, slamming the hood of the General as he walked past it.

"Uncle Jesse?"

Jesse walked slowly out of Bo and Luke's room, motioning for Luke to be quiet as he shut the door.

"I's finally got him ta sleep. Granted I had to use some 'shine to do it, but I did it none the less."

Luke laughed slightly, knowing Bo was not going to be happy with that, especially in the determined frame of mind he was in at that current period of time.

"Well at least he'll get better quicker…listen Uncle Jesse, me and Cooter's goin' around Hazzard and see if we can't get to the bottom of the race. Cooter ain't heard nothin' of it since Bo's been told..."

"You's thinkin' that this defiantly ain't legit?"

Luke sighed heavily, his hands on his hips, clutching the keys to the General in his hands.

"It can't be Uncle Jesse, a race this big would defiantly catch the attention of Boss and…well we all know what the gossip mill is like in Hazzard. Don't ya think the news of such a big race woulda spread like wildfire by now?"

Jesse nodded his heart sinking as he looked back to the boy's room. He had been hoping that maybe this was just him and Luke being protective, but now Cooter was thinking that same thing it was starting to seem more and more unlikely that this was what Bo thought it was. His old heart ached at how heart broken the boy was bound to be.

"How are we gonna break it to him Uncle Jesse?"

"I don't know Luke….find out what ya can first and then we'll see what we do from there."

Luke nodded and patted his Uncle on the back before running back outside and sliding into the General's driver window, speeding off down the dusty dirt roads, his mind still focusing on what he may have to tell Bo….and how badly the whole thing could go.