Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, just the plot, and my bad guys and Brenda and Cindy. And I don't own the song listed in this chapter—I think Joe Cocker wrote it? It's from the "Wonder Years", I know. If I'm wrong, please correct me.
Author's Note: The end of this was hard to write. I added in the song afterward, hoping that it would fit. I hope I'm doing okay with characters. Please feel free to give any constructive criticism.
Chapter 10: I Get By
-"What would you do if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key."-
Luke broke every posted speed limit by at least ten miles on his way back to Hazzard. He took every corner on two wheels, and ran every stop sign he could without causing an accident. Providence was looking out for him though, as he never saw a single police car, nor came close to a single fender-bender. Right then, nothing meant more to him than getting to Bo.
As soon as the he realized where Bo was, and what he was going to do, he hung up on Uncle Jesse and dialed Brenda's house.
"Hello?"
"Brenda?"
"No, it's Cindy. Luke? What's wrong?"
"Nothin's wrong—I know where Bo is. I gotta get back to Hazzard."
"Well...what do you want us to do?"
"When that deputy comes tell him what's goin' on. Tell him me an' Bo are gonna call ya just as soon as we get this straightened out."
"Well, what about Jake and Tom?" Luke could tell she was scared that the men would return looking for their money.
"Listen, I don't think they'll come back to the house. I think they told Bo to get the money, an' that's why he run off."
"Oh...Do you think he's okay?"
"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out." He went to hang up the phone, but her sweet-as-honey voice stopped him.
"Wait Luke! Please be careful...an' call me as soon as you find him. I'll say a prayer for you..." On the other end, Cindy blushed. Never before had she been so bluntly personal with a man. But she felt for Luke like she had felt for no other, and she hardly even knew him. Still, she had to believe they'd had a connection...
"Just be careful, okay?"
"I will. I promise. Thanks Cindy." Luke understood her feelings, and he felt the same way, but he didn't have time for romance at the moment. Family had to come first.
-"Do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.
Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light
I can't tell you but I know it's mine."-
He roared into Hazzard around noon, and drove straight to the courthouse, looking for Boss. He parked quickly and ran up the courthouse steps, only to come face to face with the man himself.
"Boss!" He exclaimed as the two practically ran into each other. Boss Hogg was clearly annoyed and glared at Luke as he dusted off his white suit.
"Luke Duke! I ain't surprised. You're as reckless walkin' as ya are drivin' in that clunker car of yours!" Luke just rolled his eyes.
"Boss I got an important matter to discuss with ya..."
"Huh-uh-uh! I got no time to discuss nothin' with no Duke—I got other matters to attend to." It was then that Luke noticed the other two businessmen standing next to Boss.
"Who're they?" Boss stuck his nose in the air and frowned.
"As if you need to know—they's from the Atlantic City Bank here to help me foreclose on the Hazzard General Store." Luke's eyes widened at the chubby man's words.
"Boss, ya can't foreclose on that store! Where're folks gonna get there food?"
"They'll still gonna get their food there—ah!" He slapped his hand on his forehead and sighed. 'Must he explain everything?' "Only it's gonna be Hogg's General Store soon! Heh, heh, heh..." He laughed hysterically for a moment, overcome with greed. One of the bank men standing next to him cleared his throat impatiently, and Boss abruptly broke off.
"Ahem, ahem. Now then, if you'll kindly excuse me..."
"Wait! Just answer me one thing—have ya seen Bo?" Luke asked, grabbing Boss's white coat at the elbow.
"Bo? Bo! You mean that no-account cousin of yours!" Boss exploded.
Balladeer: Bo's earlier appearance had caused Boss to be late for his meeting with the bank men, and if it's one thing Boss hates, it's looking bad in front of rich folk.
"Yeah I seen him! He broke into my office earlier today—nearly startled me senseless! In fact, as soon as I finish with these good gentlemen," His voice changed to syrup as he flattered the businessmen, then grew harsh again as he addressed Luke. "I'm gonna have sheriff Roscoe arrest him for trespassin', and harassment!" With that, he nodded, placed a long cigar into his mouth, and marched off to his waiting vehicle.
Luke shook his head. 'Now what? Could Bo still be in town?'
He continued his search, riding down every side street, back alley, and dirt road in the county. He checked all their old stomping grounds: Bentley's Caves, Hazzard Pond, the old mines, every meadow, fishing hole, hunting spot, or lookout that the boys had ever spent time at, Luke checked. And there was no sign of his young cousin anywhere.
-"What do I do when my love is away
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day,
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)"-
Balladeer: Shoot, if he could hear me I'd tell him where Bo is. Too bad he can't.
Finally, around suppertime, Luke headed back into town. It was getting dark, and he would need a place to stay for the night to think. He was so sure Bo had come to Hazzard—Boss had even said he was there. And Luke was sure he wouldn't have gone back to the farm. Heck, he wasn't going to the farm. Didn't want to worry Jesse and Daisy any more than they already were.
Disappointed and distraught, Luke went to the only place he knew of where he could sleep for free, aside from his home at the farm. He parked outside of Cooter's garage, walked up to the side door, and knocked softly.
-"Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends"-
Bo had conked out almost as soon as his behind hit the seat of the towtruck. Cooter, though concerned by the paleness of the boy's cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes, kept his mouth shut. It didn't look like he was injured, as far as Cooter could tell, but he seemed unnaturally edgy and secretive. He knew something was wrong, and it was only a matter of time until it all came to light.
They pulled into the garage and Cooter hopped out to pull down the sliding doors. The rickety wooden contraptions made such a ruckus coming down that Cooter was surprised Bo didn't awaken, but the blonde Duke didn't stir.
"Hey, wake up, buddyroo." Cooter said, opening the passenger door and gently shaking Bo's shoulder. Bo just moaned and turned away.
After several vain attempts to rouse him, Cooter finally decided that Bo had no intention of waking up, and slung the young man over his shoulder.
"Oof...you best lay off the doughnuts, buddyroo," the mechanic grumbled as he carried Bo's not-so-light body into his "office".
Cooter's "office" was really more like his living room. There was a matching, puke-green colored couch and armchair, a fuzzy television, a small refrigerator, a card table, and three fold-up chairs. Among these was strewn a pigsty of mammoth proportions—Daisy came in once and swore never to come back. Old pizza boxes, pop cans, empty chip bags, doughnut boxes, greasy rags, and various car parts and tools littered the floor. It wasn't that Cooter didn't want to be neat and tidy, it was simply that he just didn't know how to clean. He never saw the need for it. Daisy always said it would take a special kind of woman to make Cooter settle down—one that wouldn't run for the hills as soon she saw his living conditions.
Cooter carried Bo into the small room and dropped him onto the couch. It was then that he noticed the dried blood caked around the boy's right ear. He squinted at the injury, unsure of how it came to be or what he should do about it, so he let it go. Pulling a thin wool blanket off of the back of the nearby armchair, he laid it over Bo's sleeping form. The kid didn't look good, that was for sure. For a moment Cooter reconsidered his promise not to go straight to Uncle Jesse about this, but his fierce loyalty for his friends stayed him. Closing the "office" door softly behind him, he went out to work on one of his cars. At the moment, he couldn't think of anything else he could do.
Hours later, around seven, after Cooter had eaten his common supper of baked beans straight from the can and ice cold soda, a knock came from the side garage door. Puzzled as to who would be calling on him at such a late hour, Cooter went to answer it.
It was Luke.
"Hey, Cooter. Listen...can I crash here tonight?" Cooter just stared at him with the oddest expression on his face.
"Ah...earth to Cooter...what's the matter?" Shaking himself out of his confused daze, Cooter grabbed Luke by the shirtsleeve and yanked him inside.
"Follow me. Got a surprise for ya." He led him back to the "office", and flung open the door, propelling Luke inside.
"Cooter, what the...?" Luke stopped short when he saw Bo snoozing on the couch.
He slowly walked over and placed his hand on his cousin's blonde curly head. When he spoke his voice was filled emotion.
"Where did... how did ya find him?"
"Found him parked out back of the Boar's Nest. Looked like the world done caved in on him or somethin'. I had to practically force him here. Don't think he's slept in days. He's been like that for goin' on five hours now." He paused, watching Luke's reaction to this news. The older cousin seemed to be in shock. All this time he'd been combing the hills for his cousin, and it turned out Bo was here, safe and sound.
'Well, maybe not sound,' Luke thought as he watched Bo try unsuccessfully to roll over on the couch in his sleep, groaning when he found that he couldn't without falling off. It was then that Luke noticed the flush in the young man's cheeks, a stark contrast to the paleness of his face and the dark rims under his eyes. Instinctively, Luke's hand found Bo's forehead, and he frowned at the radiating heat he felt there.
"He's burnin' up," he said in a low voice. Cooter was on his feet immediately, a look of guilt crossing his face.
"Shoot. Luke, I'm sorry buddy. I didn't know he was sick..."
"S'okay, Cooter. I'm obliged to ya takin' him in when ya did." The mechanic grinned and slapped Luke on the back.
"T'weren't nothin' buddyroo. What're friends for, anyway?" Luke smiled back, then quickly turned back to his ill cousin.
"Cooter, can ya get me a rag an' a bucket of cold water?"
"I'm gone," Cooter replied, hurrying out of the "office" to look for the items. After he left, Luke replaced his hand on Bo's heated forehead and knelt down next to the couch.
"Bo...Bo," he called quietly, relieved when Bo finally opened his eyes and looked over at him.
"Hey," Luke greeted warmly. Bo frowned for a moment, his feverish blue eyes blinking as he tried to remember where he was, how he got there, and why he was so surprised to see Luke sitting next to him.
"Hey...Luke?" He croaked, clearing his throat. Then it dawned on him, all that had happened, and he whipped up into a sitting position.
"Easy," Luke urged as the young man nearly fell over from the dizziness of sitting up too fast. He tried to hide his hurt as Bo angrily shrugged him off.
"Luke! What are ya doin' here? Ya wasn't supposed to follow me!" He accused. Luke tried to shrug it off with humor.
"Hey, since when do I ever listen to you?"
"I'm serious Luke...why do ya think I left that note? Now ya messed everythin' up..." Bo's eyes were filled with distress, and it broke Luke's heart to see him in such a state.
"Bo, listen to me," he interrupted, placing on hand on his young cousin's shoulder. "I know what ya was gonna do. An' I think I know why, but...why'd ya run off like that?" Bo ran a hand over his flushed face.
"Because it was my responsibility, Luke! Robbie was my dad, an' I'll be danged if y'all suffer because of me!"
"Because of you? Bo...ain't ya figured it out yet that we's a family? Families help each other! It don't matter what happens, we stick together an' see it through. An' Bo...me an' you always done stuff together. There ain't nothin' I ain't never helped ya with. You seem to forget one major thing in all this—Robbie was your dad, but he was also my uncle. An' that means it's just as much my responsibility as yours." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. Bo had listened with his head down through the whole speech. Of course Luke was right. What he'd done was foolish. Even though the fear for his family was still eminent in his mind, Bo knew that if anybody had the brains to think up a way out of this, it was Luke. Slowly he nodded, then sighed.
"I'm sorry Luke. Guess I was bein' a bit thoughtless, wasn't I?" Luke grinned slightly.
"Shoot, ya don't gotta be sorry. Just don't do it again—dang near scared me senseless." It was Bo's turn to smile.
"I'm sure glad you're here, Luke," he said sincerely, and they hugged. Just then Cooter walked in with the bucket of water.
"Ahem...I interruptin' anythin'?" The boys just laughed.
"What's that for?" Bo asked, pointing to the pail in Cooter's hands.
"Well, your cousin there sent me fetchin' water to hose ya down an' try an' cool ya off," the mechanic explained. "But you're lookin' a mite better with your eyes open, buddy, lemme tell ya." Luke leaned forward and felt Bo's forehead again; barely able to register the heat before Bo smacked him away.
"Luke! I ain't two, ya know!"
"Bo, you're sick, an' ya ain't gonna lie 'bout it. I already felt your forehead before when ya was sleepin'."
"Well, gimme some aspirin or somethin' then. I'll just sleep it off." He lied back down on the couch, fully intending to go right back to sleep. Besides, his hurt ear felt clogged and pulsed with short, stabbing pains.
"Turn your head," he heard Luke order. He opened his eyes and sat back up, knowing that Luke wouldn't let him alone until he was obeyed. He turned his head, looking over at Cooter, who was leaning against the doorframe watching the scene with interest and curiosity. (He still didn't know what was going on).
"I knew it," Luke said in a troubled voice. "Your dang ear's infected."
"What?" Bo asked loudly, not hearing his cousin's voice. He turned; looking into Luke's rather concerned blue eyes.
"Ya can't hear anythin' out of it, can ya?" he asked critically. Bo frowned.
"I can too."
"Yeah right," Luke replied. "Ya don't even have that antibiotic the doc gave ya, do ya?" He sighed as Bo shook his head. "Bo, I swear, when God was passin' out brains you thought he said 'trains' an' said 'give me a slow one'. Ya know, you'll be lucky if ya don't go deaf!" Bo just gave him a tired glare. Luckily Cooter stepped in then, seeing that both boys were exhausted and hurting and in no mood to talk civilly to each other.
"Here, I got some aspirin, Bo. Ya both can crash here tonight—Luke I got some extra blankets so's you can take the floor here. You'll have to just kick this junk out of the way," he said, nudging a rotting pizza box with his foot. Bo thankfully took the medicine, quickly falling back into a deep slumber, while Luke made up a sleeping area on the floor in front of the couch. After he finished Cooter tapped him on the shoulder and motioned him over to the other side of the room, where two soda bottles were waiting on a card table. The two friends sat down and drank silently for a moment, wondering what to say. Finally Cooter broke the ice.
"So when ya gonna tell me what this is all 'bout?" Luke sighed.
"It's a long story, Cooter."
"No offense, buddyroo, but I think I deserve to hear it."
Balladeer: So Luke told Cooter all about everythin' that happened in Savannah. He also told him why the boys didn't want Jesse an' Daisy to know they was in town. He even told him all about Cindy and Brenda an' their family history. An' after all that, I bet 'ole Cooter's head's a-spinnin' like a cyclone in a cotton field.
"So...Bo run off thinkin' he was gonna get that money off of Boss Hogg?" Cooter asked incredulously.
"I don't think he was thinkin' straight," Luke explained. "He hasn't slept right in days, an' I think the stress of his father dyin' and those gamblers breakin' in...he just made himself sick." They both glanced over where the sleeping Duke lay. Two hours had passed, and the boy had hardly made a sound. It was eerie, seeing him so sick and still.
"Yeah. He was pretty messed up when I found him. Glad I trusted my instincts an' brought him here when I did. No tellin' what mighta happened." Luke nodded.
"Hey, now that he's asleep I'll see if I can cool him down some," he said, heading over to the bucket of water. Picking the rag up out of the pail, he grimaced.
"Uh, Cooter? When I said to get a rag...I meant a clean one," he said, holding up the piece of cloth, which was stained with car oil and grease and all means of filth.
"Hey, beggars can't be choosers," Cooter answered with a grin and a yawn. "I'm headin' off to bed. You boys gonna be okay 'til mornin'? If ya need anythin', holler." Luke nodded. Satisfied, Cooter shut off the office light and headed out the door up to his apartment above the garage.
Luke shook his head. Cooter Davenport was something else. Pulling his handkerchief out of his back pocket, he used it instead of the dirty rag and gently placed it on Bo's heated forehead. Bo moaned at the touch of the cold fabric, and opened his eyes. He felt awful. His ear was throbbing, his head was pounding, and he had the chills, even though the air was a warm seventy degrees.
"Luke?"
"Yeah Bo?"
"...think m'sick..."
"Yeah, you're gonna be okay. Ya just got a fever."
"Ear hurts..."
"I know. Just go back to sleep, okay? You'll feel better in the mornin'." Slowly Bo's eyes fluttered closed. Half an hour later, his fever seemed to have decreased, and Luke fell into an exhausted sleep.
-"Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends."-
The next morning the boys woke late to the smell of breakfast.
"Cooter?" Bo called, sitting up on the edge of the couch.
"Yeah?" The mechanic was adjusting three heaping plates of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast onto the flimsy card table.
"Uh...did you cook?"
"'Cooter' and 'cook' don't go together in the same sentence," Luke called as he pulled himself up from his makeshift bed on the floor.
"Hey, if y'all don't want none..." Cooter threatened jokingly.
"No!" the boys cried simultaneously, and half ran, half stumbled over to the food. As the boys filled their ravishing stomachs, Cooter had to laugh. "Well, a little home cookin' sure brought you fellas around. Ya look a heck of a lot better than ya did last night." The boys just grinned through their bites of food. Luke paused for a moment, turning to Cooter.
"But Cooter...you don't cook."
"But I do, suga'!" a feminine voice called from the doorway.
Balladeer: Now who do ya s'pose that could be? Hold on to your hats, folks. This ain't over yet!
"What would you do if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
What do I do when my love is away
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day,
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.
Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light
I can't tell you but I know it's mine,
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
with a little help from my friends."
--Joe Cocker (I think).
Author's Note: You know what to do...