Bo Gets A Baby

by MJoyH23

Based on the 1979 TV Show The Dukes of Hazzard. This story falls after Season 7 (which was the final season of the show). Bo finds out he's pregnant and he and his family try to accept the joyous news. The story is broken down into 5 parts and is complete! Contains MPREG! No sex or slash, sorry. It's meant to show the love between a father and his child. I hope you all enjoy!

Bo Gets A Baby- MJ Hughes

Contains MPREG! Full Story

Part I

It was an ordinary day in Hazzard County. The frogs croaked, the birds sang their merry tunes, and the sound of the General Lee racing through the countryside could be heard from miles around. The day started out like pretty much any other day for the Dukes. Bo and Luke got out of their beds and got dressed, then they ate breakfast with Uncle Jesse and Daisy, who had been up hours before the boys even woke up, and then headed into town for a new part for the General from Cooter's Garage.

"Hey Luke, would you mind pulling over? I think I'm going to be sick." Bo asked Luke since Luke was the one who was driving. "Sure cousin!" Luke said, while slamming on the breaks and maneuvering the orange '69 charger onto the side of the road while Bo climbed out of the window and ran behind a nearby bush clutching his stomach. The sound of Bo puking almost made Luke sick himself. "You alright, Bo?" Luke asked as Bo was climbing back into the passenger window of General Lee. "Yeah… I think so. I don't know what's wrong with me today. I was fine this morning and now my stomach is acting up like this." Bo replied.

"Well, whatever it is, don't give it to me! I hate being sick!" said Luke back to Bo while giving him a playful smirk.

At Cooter's garage, Bo's stomach had settled down but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with his body. But he brushed the feeling away as soon as Cooter came back from the store room with the spare part for the General.

"Say, ain't this the third gasket y'all've blown this month?" said Cooter as the boys paid him for the part. "Yeah, well, at least it's not something more serious. We've been pushing the General for the big race that's coming up next week," replied Luke while Bo stood behind him more quietly than usual. "You're mighty quiet today Bo, 'something gnawing at ya?" Cooter noticed since he and the boys were best friends and always knew when something wasn't right. Bo looked up at Cooter and explained the events of the morning with him. "Sounds like some of Uncle Jesse's fresh eggs weren't so "fresh" this mornin', huh Bo?" Cooter chided with sarcasm while playfully swatting Bo lightly in the lower abdomen with the back of his hand as he walked outside of the garage. The boys followed him and made their way back into the General, said their goodbyes to Cooter and headed to the Boar's Nest to grab a cold beer and harass their cousin Daisy while she was working.

Bo's stomach had started lightly cramping on the way to the Boar's Nest but he didn't want Luke to know that he was in pain. But as he climbed out of the car's window and steadied his feet on the ground he knew that something was wrong. The cramping had gotten slightly worse and Bo was having a hard time trying to hide it as he and Luke made their way to the bar stools.

"Hey Luke, Hey Bo! How are my two favorite cousins?" Daisy greeted excitedly.

"Oh you know, just peachy as always. Sheriff Roscoe hasn't been on our tails today which is unusual," said Luke as Bo chimed in, "But I'm sure he'll find somethin' to wrongfully bust us on by the end of the day I'm sure." "Two beers?" Daisy asked as she made her way behind the bar counter. "Yeah, I'll take one! You know me well, darlin'," said Luke. "No, I'll just take a club soda if you've got one, Daisy. My stomach is just not agreeing very well with me today," responded Bo. "Oh Bo, are you doin' alright sugar? What do you think is wrong?" Daisy asked worriedly. "I think you need to go right back to the farm and lie down for awhile." "I don't know Daisy," Bo grimaced as he moved his hand to clutch his stomach as he felt a small cramp coming on. "All this started comin' on out of nowhere. I was fine yesterday… I think," responded Bo. "Well you don't look too good at all sugar. And what's with you holding your stomach like that? You actin' like you're in pain or somethin' other than just nausea." Daisy mused when she noticed that Bo was holding onto his abdomen in a way that didn't look like just an upset stomach. "Uh, I don't know what's goin' on with me but maybe I'd better go back to the farm and lie down like you said Daisy." Bo put his hand on his belly, and stood up hoping Luke would take him home but realized that that was a huge mistake. As soon as he stood up, his vision blurred and everything went black as he collapsed onto the floor unconscious.

"OH MY GOSH, BO!" Daisy ran over to cradle him in her arms while Luke shouted to nearby patrons in the bar to call an ambulance.

Bo slowly opened his eyes in the bright light of the hospital room and noticed that he was alone. His stomach wasn't bothering him like it was but he still noticed a bout of uneasiness that wasn't like his normal self. He propped himself up against the hospital bed and pillows as a doctor came into the room. "Ah, you're awake," exclaimed the doc as he pulled out Bo's test results. "What's wrong with me Doc?" asked Bo with a concerned tone.

"Well, I'm not really sure how to tell you in a way that you would believe me," said the doctor, "but what is going on here inside of you right now is an absolute miracle!"

The doctor pulled up next to the bed a strange machine that Bo had never seen before.

"If you wouldn't mind lifting your gown and pulling down the blanket to expose your lower abdomen I will be happy to show you why you aren't feeling so well right now," the doctor urged as Bo reluctantly did what he was instructed. The strange blue gel felt cold when applied to his belly. Bo had no idea what was going on and wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. How bad could it be if they had to break out this special equipment that he didn't even know what it was for. He hoped it wasn't too serious. What would Luke and Daisy and Uncle Jesse do without him if it was life threatening? Where were they anyways...? He hated to ponder the outcome of what his family would do in his demise. As all of these thoughts were starting to race through his head, he wasn't paying much attention as the little screen of the machine lit up and a strange noise could be heard from a speaker somewhere.

Startled, Bo looked up at the little screen in front of him. Being a simple farm boy without much experience about hospitals and human anatomy, he was curious to know what this little thing was on the screen that moved as the doctor moved the little stick around on his abdomen. "Uh, Doc, what is that?"

"Well, Bo, this machine is called a sonogram machine. This little wand that I am moving around your belly shows me what is below the surface of your skin allowing me to see inside of you." Bo was intrigued at this but still wondered what he was seeing on the screen as the image was very fuzzy and whatever it was that was inside of him appeared very small on the image on the screen. "This is what I wanted to show you, Bo. You see that little dot that keeps blipping very fast in the middle there that is synchronized to that sound in the speaker?" Bo had to look harder "Yeah, doc, I do, what is that?" " That, Bo, is a heartbeat, and that heartbeat belongs to a tiny baby that is growing inside of you."

Bo looked at the doctor with eyes as wide as saucers. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to think, heck, he didn't even know how this could be possible! After a few moments he blinked hard a few times to try to awaken from this dream that he thought he was possibly in, but each time he opened his eyes he was still in the hospital room with the doctor and the image of a tiny little baby on the screen of this strange machine. His baby! "Congratulations, Mr. Duke, You're Pregnant! See? I told you it was something that you need to see before I could explain it to you. From the looks of it I'd say you're about 8 weeks along."

Bo raised and then lowered his brow and blinked a few more times as the doctor gently wiped the gel off of his belly. "I can see you're in a state of shock right now, but would you like me to print out an image of your baby for you?" Asked the doctor while pressing a few buttons on the keypad of the strange machine.

Bo finally was able to process the recent discovery and snapped out of his daze to reply to the doctor. "Um, yeah, yes! My family is not goin' to believe me when I tell them."

"No problem, here you go!" As if reading Bo's mind, the doctor had already printed the image of the tiny baby out and handed it to Bo.

"Oh, by the way, the reason that you fainted earlier and why your were brought in here was because your blood sugar is low probably from the changes in your appetite and from your body adjusting to eating for two. It's no reason to be alarmed, just make sure you take in a few more calories and try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Oh! and stay away from beer!"

"Thanks Doc! Oh! What about the cramps? Why was my stomach hurtin' so bad?" Asked Bo, now concerned for this new life growing inside of him. "The cramping is from your body getting used to carrying a baby. Light cramping is sometimes normal during the first few weeks of pregnancy and should go away by the second trimester. Although, if it gets worse you should come back and see me to see if there is something more serious. Since you are of the male sex we don't know how much of a "normal" pregnancy you are going to have, so I think it will be a safe bet to check on you every few weeks or anytime you have any concerns, okay?" "Alright Doc," Bo gently smiled at the doctor as he walked out of the room. When he was alone, he lifted his hand to just above his bellybutton so he could see the small piece of paper in his hand and he studied the picture of the tiny little baby. He sighed and smiled at the picture, entertaining the idea of having a baby of his own taking up residency inside of him, but that excitement suddenly turned to FEAR as he realized the severity of the situation that he was in: He was PREGNANT!

"So what'd the doctor say?' Asked Uncle Jesse when they had gotten Bo home from the hospital and were sitting down for supper. Bo wasn't ready to break the news to his family just yet as he was still trying to process the information himself. "The doctor said I'm healthy. I had low blood sugar was the reason why I fainted." Bo knew it was wrong to tell a lie so he left out the main problem, that was actually to blame for all of his symptoms, and just told his family other reasons that the doctor had mentioned. "Your low blood sugar was probably from you hacking up all your breakfast this morning. Having nothing in your gut can do that to ya!" Luke chimed in. Bo thought to himself, if only they knew that Luke's comment couldn't be further from the truth because in actuality his gut did have something in it, a child. "I guess so, Luke," Bo agreed as they bowed their heads to pray over their meal. Bo wasn't really in the mood to eat anything. The shock of finding out his current predicament along with the other events of the day were weighing heavily on his mind. He wanted so badly to just touch his small belly to feel the child within him, but he figured he'd better not at the dinner table if he didn't want to try to explain why he was still holding onto his abdomen. He hoped they wouldn't ask for a reason for the cramps or nausea, and thankfully no one did.

"So, how do you think the General is coming along for the big race next week?" Asked Daisy after a few moments of silence. "Well, I think he just needs a bit more of a tune up and he'll be good to go." Luke answered as he grabbed another biscuit and buttered it. "Then after that, it all comes down to the driver!" Luke added while glancing at Bo.

This race was special. It only allowed for one driver, which both of the boys agreed that it would be Bo, after winning an arm wrestling match a few weeks ago when they found out. Once a driver's name was put in, they couldn't switch the driver and would have to forfeit the race and their admission fee, which cost them a good part of Uncle Jesse's mortgage money, to enter the race. This was also an important race for the Dukes because they were going to donate a large portion of the prize money to the Hazzard County Orphanage to supply new beds and upkeep of the building if they won.

Bo knew so many people were counting on him to win this race. He felt incredibly guilty at even the thought of having to back out of it if it came down to that. "Hey, y'all don't have to worry about me none! Just make sure the General is in tiptop shape and I'll be there!" exclaimed Bo. If there was one thing Bo would never back down from that was a race! Bo loved racing more than he loved anything else, besides family, of course.

Bo managed to choke down a few bites of his dinner and helped with clean-up, then went outside to sit on the front porch swing for some alone time. Uncle Jesse always notices when something isn't right with Daisy or either of the boys. He was like a father to them, since their own parents passed away he had been in charge of raising them their whole lives, and knew all of their quirks and when something was off or one of them wasn't acting like themselves. Luke and Daisy were busy getting ready for bed and hadn't noticed Bo slip away, but Uncle Jesse did, and he wasn't about to let his nephew suffer alone from whatever was plaguing him.

Bo was sitting on the porch swing lightly swaying back and forth letting his boots brush against the old wooden boards that made up the porch beneath him. "What am I going to do now?" Bo painfully thought to himself. He wasn't just afraid of losing the race, or not even getting to compete in it, he was now afraid that if he were to get into an accident it could have fatal consequences on his unborn child. Still afraid that one of his family members would see him, he refrained from resting his hand over his belly. He longed so much for a touch, to connect with his baby that was inside of him. He wanted to protect his daughter or son from any harm that might come. But how could he do that when he couldn't even protect it from himself? "Am I even ready to be a father? No. Bo answered his own thoughts and rolled his eyes. His internal monologue with himself was something to be amused over. Just when he thought he was safe to try to steal a touch of his still unnoticeable abdomen, the porch light came on, and Uncle Jesse stepped outside to join him. He sat in the rocking chair across from the porch swing. "It's a nice night isn't it?' said Uncle Jesse to try easing into a conversation and break Bo's shell of secrecy. "Is something wrong kiddo? You know I can tell when something's off with you." Asked Uncle Jesse, concerned. Bo wanted to tell his uncle about the new family member that would be joining them soon, but didn't want to admit his secret, afraid that his uncle would make him give up the race. If they lost or forfeited the race then the mortgage money would be lost too and that would mean that Uncle Jesse would lose the farm and then they would have nowhere to go. Of course, Bo had no distrust in his ability to win the race. Driving and racing was what he was born to do and he would do it no matter what, any place, any time!

"I'm alright Uncle Jesse. I just needed some alone time for a few minutes is all." Bo looked down and drug the toe of his left boot over the wooden boards underneath him. "I know that look, the look when one of my kids aren't being one hundred percent honest with me... or maybe even with themselves." Uncle Jesse said and looked up at the sky hoping that Bo would open up. After a few moments, Bo broke the silence, "Uncle Jesse? How did you think you would be able to manage all three of us kids without having any experience at all at parenting?" Bo looked away hoping that he didn't give away part of his secret in that question. "Well, kiddo, sometimes you just have to take what life brings you and make it work however you can. With you three it wasn't easy, it's still not easy. All of you are just about at that point in your lives to have to start making those decisions and trying it out for yourselves. But you just get through it by taking it day by day. Some days are good, some days could be better. You just have to learn from it and keep moving forward." Uncle Jesse glanced at Bo with a caring eye. "You know, Bo, we're always here for ya." Uncle Jesse got up from his rocking chair and settled himself next to Bo on the swing seeing the pain in Bo's eyes. "Something tells me that that wasn't all the doctor told you today. Now I'm not going to force ya to be out with it until you're ready, and I won't tell Luke or Daisy what we talked about unless you're willing to be open about it. But we're always here for you no matter what, you know that." Uncle Jesse put his arm around him as Bo tried to hide his teary eyes. He leaned into him and hugged his uncle tightly while trying not to sob uncontrollably, to no avail. Uncle Jesse just held him and patted his back while he cried into his shoulder. They didn't speak, but Bo knew how much his uncle loved him and that everything would be okay.

The next few days were rocky, as Bo figured out more and more ways to hide his secret from his cousins and his uncle. Bo and Luke installed the new gasket in the General Lee and had it humming like a hummingbird. They decided to take the General out for a test run up near Old Mill Road. Bo drove while Luke stood on the sidelines timing him. "Time! 15 minutes and 19 seconds!" Luke screamed after Bo crossed the makeshift finish line, "can't you do any better than that?!" "I don't know what else you want me to do, Luke. I'm already pushing the General as it is." "Pushing the General or pushing yourself?" Luke responded heatedly. Bo humphed, crossed his arms and leaned against the side of General Lee. He knew he wasn't performing at his best, but he didn't want to take any risks to his baby's life or health either. "Look, just trust me. I got this, Luke!" Luke looked at him and shook his head. " I sure hope you know what you're doing cousin. If we lose this race it's all our hides on the line and we'll be out on the streets for not winning back Uncle Jesse's mortgage money for the farm. "I know what I'm doing Luke, just trust me. I'll deliver when the time comes!" Bo couldn't believe he'd let that wording slip right out of his mouth. Deliver. In about 7 months he'd be delivering something way more than just performance. He just hoped he would have something left to deliver depending on how this race went.

"You know, Bo, you've been actin' funny ever since you left the hospital. Are you sure there's not something else goin' on that you "forgot" to mention?" Luke prodded as they both climbed into the General Lee's windows. Bo started the ignition and started driving with Luke staring at him waiting for an answer. " I said I'm fine Luke!" Bo hadn't meant the words to come out so harsh and tried to soften the response by adding "passing out like that and waking up in a hospital alone just scared me, I guess. Call me traumatized or whatever, I just don't want that to happen again and I'm just scared, okay?" "Hey, Bo, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were still shook up about that. Heck, I didn't know you were that affected by it. I guess I forgot to put myself in your shoes. I mean, I was pretty traumatized seeing you fall to the floor unconscious. Bo, I was scared to death seeing you like that. But I'm glad you're okay. I really am!" Luke apologized. They rode silently for a few miles before they heard the oh-so-familiar cop car siren behind them. "Looks like ole Roscoe is up to his old speed traps again!" Bo laughed as he hit the gas pedal, thrusting both of the boys backward in their seats as the power of the engine jetted the car forward even faster in an attempt to lose the Sheriff. The boys hadn't had this much fun in days. There was nothing like trying to get away from the Hazzard County Police Department on the road, especially when they were being flagged down for phony charges. The law and Boss Hogg, who is pretty much in charge of the whole town including the law, is always looking for ways to catch the Duke boys and imprison them, even if it's under the pretense of false charges. But that wasn't going to happen today! The Duke boys had better things to do than sit in a jail cell for phony charges while their family and friends try to prove their innocence. Sheriff Coltrane wasn't as good of a driver as Bo and Bo easily lost him. "Good drivin' cousin! Now THAT'S what I want to see at the big race two days from now!" Luke cheered as Bo slowed the General to a normal speed. "Eh that was nothin'!" Exclaimed Bo as he smiled proudly. All the fun they were having running from Roscoe made him forget about the baby nestled deep inside his belly. But his spirits were lightened for a short time and for a moment he didn't feel like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The day before the big race, Bo made sure he rested as much as he could. He didn't want to be overworked and cause himself to not be focused. He had to be focused and in control the whole time otherwise he didn't want to think about what could happen. Bo was getting more nervous as the day passed on. His nausea returned in full force and the rest of the Dukes were worrying about whether he would be able to drive or not the following day. Of course when they asked, he just chalked it up to having a nervous stomach. Which would have been a reasonable excuse if they hadn't known him. Bo had never gotten nervous or sick before a race, ever! So why was this one any different?

Bo picked a hay straw from one of the bales in the barn and wandered into the back pasture to an old oak tree. He leaned his shoulder against the tree and held the straw between his teeth and lips with the rest of it hanging out of his mouth while staring off into the distance of the field. He was sure no one could see him from the house, or hear him unless he screamed out loud. After a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching him he looked down and paid attention to a spot on his lower abdomen where he imagined his baby resting. And for the first time he finally placed his hand on his belly. He knew his baby was too small to feel yet but just the knowledge that his baby was there just beneath his hand and skin was enough to bring tears of joy to his eyes. "I haven't had the chance to formally introduce myself to you, my little one. I've been trying to wrap my head around all of this and solve how you could have gotten inside of me, but I can't figure it out. This is all new to me, and I'm going to try my best to be a good father to you." Bo cried. "I can't promise you anything because who knows what tomorrow holds or any day for that matter, but I will try my best to protect you and love you as much as I possibly can! I'm scared, little one. I don't know what's going to happen." Bo clutched his lower abdomen harder, as he sobbed. "I don't want to lose you... I can't lose you now that I've just gotten you. I'm sorry baby! I'm so sorry! I don't want to hurt you! Forgive me little one!" Bo sniffled as he sunk to the ground still leaning against the tree and still holding his stomach. Now that he could touch it he never wanted to let go. He sat there against the tree for a long time until he fell asleep.

He awoke to Luke running towards him and calling for Uncle Jesse and Daisy saying that he'd found him. He rubbed his eyes as he came to, they were full of dried tears that he'd been crying earlier. He wiped at them some more hoping that Luke wouldn't see his red eyes in the dark. Luke approached him kneeling and grabbed him by the shoulders inspecting him for injuries. "Bo, what happened? Are you alright? Did you black out again? Are you hurt?" Luke's questions were coming at him like a whirlwind and was making his head spin. "Yeah, I'm fine, Luke, I guess I just got comfortable and dozed off. What time is it?" "It's 7:30, you slept straight through dinner time!" "Bo! How in tar-nations did you get all the way out here?" Uncle Jesse bellowed as he and Daisy ran up to his side. "He says he just fell asleep," Luke interjected. "Bo, we were so worried about you! Are you sure you're okay?" Daisy squeezed him hard into a hug then playfully slapped him on the shoulder after he'd confirmed for the third time that he was. "Let's get you inside an' cleaned up an' get some food in you!" Uncle Jesse ordered. Luke helped Bo up and they strolled back into the house to do as Uncle Jesse said.

After Bo got out of the shower he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. Was his belly protruding out a little more than usual? He ran his hand over it again and hoped it wasn't noticeable to others. It didn't look much different other than looking like he'd had an extra slice or two of Daisy's pie, which he didn't, but just imagining it made him laugh to himself. Instead of having an extra piece of pie as the cause of his growing abdomen, his humor quickly faded and his fatherly love overwhelmed him at the realization that it was his baby making his belly grow. He felt like his heart was going to burst with the amount of love he now had for this child inside. He wanted to scream so loud that everyone would know how happy he was in that moment. It was amazing what one small thing such as seeing his belly grow did to him inside. But he knew he had to wait just a little longer before he could release his joyous secret to his family. He took another look in the mirror and poked his belly out more trying to imagine what he'd look like when he was further along. He snickered once more before putting on his night clothes and walking out of the bathroom only to realize that he didn't have a shirt to put on and everyone was still awake in the living room looking at him as he froze like a deer in headlights.

"Come 'ere Bo!" Daisy stretched her arm towards him beckoning him to come and sit beside her on the couch. He could tell they had been deep in some sort of conversation that he hoped wasn't about him. He sat down and leaned forward putting his elbows on his knees hoping that in doing so would hide his unnoticeable belly bulge. "Eh, we were just discussing the plans for tomorrow," started Uncle Jesse. Luke chimed in, "Yeah, so we figured that I'll drive the General to the check-in and get him all signed in. And you'll ride with Daisy and Uncle Jesse a little later, giving you a little more time to sleep and get ready so you don't have to rush. And then you can just check-in as the driver when you get there. So that way it's less stressful on you and you can be more focused on driving and winning the race."

"Well that sounds great y'all, but don't I need to check-in the General and myself at the same time? I'd rather just ride with the General, I've gotta be there anyways, right? What's a few minutes less of sleep? I think I've just gotten plenty of sleep out there by that tree don't ya think?" Bo asked, rhetorically. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather I take the General." Bo urged.

"Alright, whatever you're comfortable with. It's up to you." Uncle Jesse responded. "Well, I don't know about y'all, but I've got to get to bed. I've got a big race tomorrow. Goodnight everybody!" Bo said as he stood up and quickly made his way into the bedroom and under the covers before anyone noticed his minuscule belly bulge.

Morning rolled around and Bo was a nervous wreck. He ate a little breakfast, and drank a ton of water, made sure he had his wallet and his driver's license and then headed outside to join Luke in the General Lee. Bo wondered how he was going to fit into the window and behind the wheel of their beloved car once his baby started growing more. He quickly pushed the thought aside as he prepared his mind for race mode. They arrived and parked at their designated spot at the starting line. Bo got checked-in with an hour to spare. He noticed a lot of other drivers with their cars and couldn't help think which ones of these fine people wouldn't care if they caused the death of his unborn child from their reckless driving, just as long as they won the race. The thought made Bo's stomach ache and he clutched at it through his jumpsuit. He felt like he was going to be sick again, but pushed it back down by taking deep breaths.

Ten minutes until starting time and Bo was a wreck! Luke approached him to give him some advice and some information on a few of the other drivers: who to stay away from, who to use as leverage, and so on… "Luke, I can't do this!" Bo panted through heavy breaths. "I can't DO THIS!" he leaned his forehead onto the roof near the driver's side window of the car. "Hey, hey, relax, you're going to be fine! What's the matter with you, you're never like this over a race." "Luke this time is different okay? It's not just about me this time!" "What do you mean? It was never just about you, Bo. Think of the poor children in that orphanage!" "Luke right now the only child I'm thinking about is my own!" Bo screamed through ragged breaths. Luke stood with his mouth agape, not knowing what to say. Bo was clearly out of it. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack at any time. Luke wished he had a paper bag that Bo could breathe into to get him to relax. What was Bo talking about? What child? Did he get some girl pregnant and want the money to help her? Luke didn't know what to think. "Um.. I..uh.." Luke started but Bo cut him off. "Luke I don't know what to do! I'm scared that I'm going to mess this up, something bad's going to happen." "Bo, just take a breath!" Luke tried to console him. "Now slow down, what's wrong?" Luke grabbed Bo by the back of the neck and held him steady. "I..I..I c. 't this! I'm pregnant, Luke! I have a baby inside of me and… and …. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt it!" Bo managed to stutter out. Now Luke was beyond concerned. How could Bo be pregnant? This was nonsense! "Bo has clearly lost his mind." Luke thought to himself. "The stress has gotten to him and he's just LOST IT!" Luke had to turn away from Bo to hide whatever emotion was creeping upon his face that he didn't want Bo to see. The one minute warning chimed that alerted all drivers that the race was about to start. Luke turned back to Bo giving him a stern look "Look, Bo, I hear what you're trying to say but right now you've got to win this race. Trust yourself! You've GOT this! You drive like this all the time, so what makes today any different? What about the other day, when you lost Roscoe? Huh? That was fun! You trusted yourself and your driving abilities and no one got hurt! You're going to be FINE! Come on, Bo! You can DO this!" Everyone knows you can! You are going to be fine!" Luke grabbed Bo's shoulders and jerked him a few times. "Trust yourself, you've got this!" Luke repeated. Bo had calmed down listening to Luke's pep talk. He couldn't believe he'd just told Luke about the baby. Luke had brushed the news off like a fly on his shoulder. "He must think I'm crazy!" Bo thought to himself. "Alright, it's GO TIME!" Luke urged as Bo slid into the window of the Charger. Putting his helmet on he'd wished he'd had something like a helmet for his unborn baby, like a shield, something to protect his child, then it hit him, HE was the shield! HE was his child's protector! His body was made to protect and nurture and grow his child! He wouldn't let anything happen to his little one. With this new sense of purpose and confidence in himself he placed a gloved hand on his belly for just a moment to show his baby that he was in charge and made a promise that he would always be its protector, no matter what. Then he shoved the charger into gear and stomped on the accelerator as the gunshots fired the start of the race.

Luke got back over to Daisy and Uncle Jesse and sat next to them on the tailgate of Jesse's white pickup truck waiting for the drivers to lap back around and cross the finish line. "What was all that about?" Uncle Jesse asked Luke as he got settled. "Oh, Bo was having a panic attack over driving. I had to shake him into shape.." Luke joked halfheartedly. He really did feel bad for Bo. He would've taken his place had he known he was going to be this much of a wreck over the race. And what was all that about him being pregnant? That was odd! What would make him say that, or even THINK to say that?! Luke tried to form his thoughts into coherent sentences that Daisy and Uncle Jesse would understand, but he barely understood what Bo was talking about, so how could he relay the message in a way that they would understand it any better?

"Bo was talking crazy when I went over there. He was saying that he was pregnant... that he had a baby inside of him! I wonder what would make him think to say that? Do you think it's code for something?" Asked Luke to Daisy and Jesse. "What? Bo, Pregnant?! Are you serious?" Daisy laughed as if Luke had just told the most hilarious joke. "Now, now, calm down. None of us really know what Bo is going through. I think it would just be best to wait for him to finish the race so he can explain it himself. " Interceded Uncle Jesse on Bo's behalf.

Bo rounded the curve as smooth and quick as he could making sure he gave himself enough room to avoid the other drivers who were in front and behind him. He only had one more car to pass before he was in first place. All he needed was one quick opening and he could shoot right through to first place. He swerved left and right trying to block the other drivers behind him from passing him. Luke was right, this was easy, Bo could do this in his sleep. He didn't know why he had been so worried. He was on top of the world and having a great time! He placed a hand onto his belly saying "we've got this!" then took his chance and sped forward passing the car in front just as they passed the finish line. He stopped the car and was just about to exit the vehicle when suddenly he felt the pain and heard the mangling of metal as another race car crashed into him with full force. He blacked out for a second as the car flipped over more times then he was able to determine. He felt himself being flung around like a rag-doll in a washing machine. Then the motion stopped and he heard the sound of people running towards him, felt them reaching into the mangled car to drag him out. He couldn't move, he was frozen with the shock of what had just happened. He heard the responders asking him questions while they tore off his jumpsuit, felt them touching him and examining his body, when he was finally able to speak in a sentence that made sense, he muttered, "check the baby!"

With all the chaos going on around him it was hard for him to think. He didn't have any broken bones that he could feel but he had a few minor scratches on his face where his jumpsuit and helmet didn't protect him. The responders were just as confused as he was at the moment. They checked the inside of the car thinking that maybe he meant there was a baby in the car with him. They came back a few moments later to explain that they found no baby, when he was able to speak better. "The baby is inside me." Bo murmured. "Please, make sure it's still alive!" Bo pleaded with the responders. They assumed he had hit his head and had a concussion for a reason for all the nonsense he was speaking, and decided to rush him to the nearest hospital. When he arrived, the doctor who had diagnosed his condition previously was on call. "Please! Please!" Bo prayed, for anyone or anything who was listening to tell him if his baby was alright. They wheeled him into a private room in the ER and the doctor told the responders that their services were no longer required. All Bo could do was pray, and hope that his baby hadn't been harmed, that it had survived. How could he be so STUPID?! Why was he so naive to think that something like this wouldn't happen? He hated himself for what he had done. How could he put his baby's life at risk like that? A miracle that he'd squashed before it had the chance to blossom. He cried hard and rolled into a half ball in a semi fetal position. "Bo, let me take a look at you." The doctor ordered gently." Can you roll over onto your back? I need access to your abdomen." Bo listened to the doctor and did what he said, but he thought to himself that it was no use. He had killed his tiny little baby. The familiar cold gel spread across his lower abdomen and he felt the wand, or stick, whatever the heck they called it, glide across him. He couldn't bring himself to look at the screen until the doctor exclaimed in excitement, "The baby is alive! You're still pregnant! It's not hurt! Look!" Bo turned his eyes to the screen and saw the tiny blip blip blip that indicated the baby's heartbeat. He started crying even harder. He couldn't believe his little baby hadn't been hurt, and thankfully he hadn't been hurt badly either. He'd have huge bruises all over his body but he'd gladly take that any day compared to the alternative of losing his baby.

The Dukes picked up Bo later that evening after he'd had a more thorough check-up and tests.

All he wanted to do was sleep and forget about this horrible yet wonderful day. But he had no such luck when they started asking were all standing in the kitchen, Daisy taking groceries out of the fridge, Luke setting the table, Uncle Jesse taking dishes out of the dryer rack and Bo leaning backwards against the counter next to Uncle Jesse with his arms crossed defensively over his chest. "Bo, what did you mean in the ambulance when you told them to "check the baby"? What baby?" Daisy asked. "Yeah, you were talking all kinds of nonsense about being pregnant and having a baby inside of you before the race, do you remember?" Luke added." Bo pursed his lips and grinned, he looked down at his belly and asked out loud, "Well, what do you think, should we tell 'em?" Shaking his head in a yes motion, he looked up and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a small piece of paper with a black and white sonogram picture of a tiny baby on it and held it up so everyone could see. "Lady and Gentlemen, I present to you the newest member of the Duke family. Now, I don't know whether it's a boy or a girl yet so we'll have to use our imagination, but as you can see right here, that there is a little baby in this picture, and that little baby is in my belly right here," Bo said as he pointed to a spot just below his bellybutton. The whole family stood frozen where they were, mouths open in surprise. "Well, I'll let you guys figure it out." Bo laughed and walked into his and Luke's joint bedroom and went to sleep.

Part II

A few weeks later, and Bo was into the second trimester of his pregnancy. Being 14 weeks along now he was starting to notice his belly growing. He had grown out at least a full inch since finding out about the little baby who was living in his abdomen. It was a nice Wednesday morning and Bo woke up feeling great. No more nausea, no more cramps, his family even noticed that he was glowing. Now that he wasn't hiding his secret from them anymore he was free to give his baby as much attention as he wanted. He still didn't believe that his family fully believed him, but that was up to them to decide. He wouldn't spend any more time trying to convince them; his growing belly would do that over time up until he eventually gave birth.

Bo sat down for breakfast with his family, they said grace over the meal and chowed down. "It's good to see you've gotten your appetite back, Bo !" Said Luke as he reached for a pitcher of orange juice. "Well my nausea is gone and now I just feel hungry all the time. Having a growing baby inside of you will do that," replied Bo as he took a bite of scrambled eggs. He didn't know why everything tasted so good, but it did, and he was starving. The family finished their breakfast and headed outside to do their farm chores while Daisy left for work. The doctor told Bo that light physical work would be good for him and the baby. He told him to keep up with light exercise to ensure a healthy baby and a healthy Bo. As long as he didn't overdo it by lifting anything too heavy then he would be fine but just to make sure to pay attention to his own body and what he felt comfortable with doing.

So the boys helped Uncle Jesse unload some bags of feed from the truck into the barn, and moved some hay bales around from one place to another to make room for fresh hay bales. From the heat and sweat, the boys both took their shirts off to cool off while they continued to work. "This is the first time I've seen you without a shirt on since you gave us the news!" Luke gave Bo a quick look-over in an attempt to notice if there were any changes in his appearance. "I still think it's crazy!" blurted Luke as he dropped a hay bale on top of another one. "What's crazy, Luke?" asked Bo, a bit wounded by Luke's comment. "I mean the fact that you believe you're pregnant. How is it even possible, Bo?" Luke replied. Bo carried another hay bale over and set it on top of the one Luke had just moved over. He was loving this newfound energy that being pregnant came along with. He could do this all day! "I don't know what else to do to convince you, Luke." Bo looked down and put his palms on top of the hay bale he'd just carried over as he spoke and leaned into it. "I know it's impossible, but somehow it happened. I don't know if we'll ever figure out how, but to me it doesn't matter. All that matters is that it has happened, and I'm glad it has." Bo looked at Luke before turning to go grab another hay bale. Luke followed after him, "I'm just saying, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I'm not saying it's not true. But I mean all the proof you have to show for it is just a small piece of paper with a picture on it. It doesn't even have the form of a baby yet. And you're not even showing that much. I'd just think you gained a little weight or ate too much based on how you look now. It's not even that noticeable at all." Luke went on. "We haven't even been to any of your doctors appointments."

"Well ya'll are welcome to come! Mostly it's just tests and blood work and then we discuss any concerns and do a quick sonogram, or whatever the heck that machine is, for measurement."

"It just seems to me like something that should be private, Bo." Luke looked at Bo and then turned away. Bo looked in Luke's direction and stood there for a second.

"It doesn't have to be," Bo replied softly before looking away. They finished moving the other few hay bales over in silence and then each went to start on another chore separately.

After Bo finished his chores he decided that he'd take a drive into town in his uncles' pickup truck to run some errands for Uncle Jesse, while Luke stayed behind to work on the General. "They're going to love you! They just don't understand yet." Bo whispered gently to his small belly and placed his hand over it. He thought he could almost feel movement beneath the surface of his skin but it wasn't strong enough to tell for sure. He drove on until he came up behind a car that had stalled on the side of the road. Being a Duke boy, he pulled over to see if he could be of any help to the stranded stranger. It was a woman, of course! "Hey there! What seems to be the problem?" Bo greeted, as he approached the front of the vehicle. "Hey there yourself!" The lady responded. She was wearing a long light pink dress and had dark, shoulder length hair and wore glasses that were too large for her face. Bo thought she was kinda pretty in a type of nerdy way. "I just don't know what is wrong with this blasted car! It was working fine until just a few moments ago. Out of nowhere it just quit on me!" The lady said as she lightly kicked the tire closest to her out of pretend frustration. "Well, I'm pretty good with cars, let me take a look!" Bo said as he moved closer to get a better look under the hood. As he was leaning forward to get a better look at the engine he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head from out of nowhere and everything went black.

Bo woke up in a warehouse that he didn't recognize. He was sitting on the floor with his arms and legs tied up in front of him and he was gagged. He realized someone must have hit him over the back of the head and kidnapped him to this place. He didn't feel any pain anywhere else other than his head except for the rope digging into his wrists and causing rope burn. He hoped his baby was safe. Since he'd been unconscious he had no way of knowing what might have been done to him while he was knocked out. "It's always the pretty girls who turn out to be evil." he thought to himself unsure of how he got himself into this mess. Why did he always have to be so willing to help strangers and so easily able to trust a pretty face? He scolded himself for thinking that way. Uncle Jesse had raised them to always be kind and willing to help someone in need no matter who that person was. It wasn't his fault that sometimes the people he tried to help turned out to be the bad guys. "She must have an accomplice, there's no way she could have gotten me in here all by herself!" Bo thought to himself as he tried to loosen the ropes around his wrists. The ropes weren't budging at all; they were just too tight and too well tied that he hurt himself even more for trying to bother with them. He hoped his family was looking for him, and who knew what time it was now. He had no idea how long he had been out cold and worry started to creep in as he thought "what if they never find me?"

Back at the Duke farm, Luke and Uncle Jesse were wondering why Bo was taking so long to come back from running errands. "Bo Peep to Shepherd and Lost Sheep, are any of y'all out there?" they suddenly heard over the CB radio that they kept in the living room. Bo Peep was Daisy's CB handle and Shepherd was Uncle Jesse, leaving Lost Sheep to be Bo and Luke's. They immediately responded to Daisy's call. "Lost sheep here, go ahead Bo Peep" Luke responded. "I just came across Uncle Jesse's pickup here on the side of the road! But I don't see Uncle Jesse or Bo!" Exclaimed Daisy. "Uncle Jesse is right here. Bo was driving the truck, are you sure he's not around there somewhere?" Luke and Uncle Jesse looked at each other with worry in their eyes. This wasn't like Bo to just leave the truck parked on the side of the road and not be near it. "Is there something wrong with the truck, Daisy?" Luke urged on trying to find a solution for why Bo would abandon it. "No, I got in it and the engine started right up, and the tires are all fine. There's nothing wrong with it at all!" answered Daisy worriedly. "Just stay right there, Uncle Jesse and I are headed right over! Over and out!" Luke dropped the CB and he and Uncle Jesse ran for the General Lee. He helped Uncle Jesse into the window of the car and climbed in the driver's side and they sped towards the scene, praying that Bo was all right.

"It looks like there was another set of tire tracks right here that took off this way!" Luke said as he inspected the marks beside the truck. "Oh Uncle Jesse! Do you think someone has kidnapped Bo?" Daisy cried, imagining the worst, as she leaned into Uncle Jesse's embrace as he hugged her to console her. "Now we don't know that for sure, baby. But Bo's strong, I'm sure he's hangin' in there!" Uncle Jesse said while trying to keep everyone calm. Luke realized the truck was empty and added, "Well unless they took the groceries and bags of feed with them it doesn't look like Bo ever made it to the store." Luke said while inspecting the area around the truck more thoroughly. Uncle Jesse thought it would be a good idea to get the Sheriff involved at that point. Normally they wouldn't even bother with the law because all they wanted was to find a reason to pin some phony charges on the Dukes to get rid of them. But with Bo in the condition that he was in the family agreed that they could use all the help that they could get.

"Jesse Duke to Sheriff Roscoe, Jesse Duke to Sheriff Roscoe, Come back!" Uncle Jesse spoke into the CB. "Sheriff RoscOOOOEE P. Coltrane here." He heard back as Roscoe giggled into the mic. "Roscoe! Bo's missin'! We need your help. We think he's been kidnapped!" Jesse hollered back into the CB. "Oh good grief, don't you dukes have anything better to do with my time?" replied Roscoe while adjusting his hat and muttering something under his breath to his basset hound, Flash. "They're trying to swindle me is what their doing." He commented to his dog. "Roscoe just listen!" Jesse yelled through the speaker. "This is an emergency!"

"Oh never mind with your never minds, velvet ears and I have an appointment at the creek for some cat-fishin'. Over and out!" Roscoe said un-amused, and feeling irritated that he was being disturbed.

"Well Roscoe ain't gonna be any help, as usual!" Luke bellowed to Uncle Jesse and Daisy. "It's gonna be dark soon. Why don't you two take the truck and head back to the farm to see if Bo turns up. I'll do my best to try to follow these tracks and see where it takes me." Luke said as he hopped into the General Lee and started off following in the direction of the tracks.

Back in the warehouse, Bo was starting to get really uncomfortable in his sitting position. He needed to stretch out and move his legs. His back was starting to get stiff and he was hunched over at an awkward angle in a way that he knew was putting pressure on his lower abdomen. He hoped the baby wasn't too cramped inside of him. There was nothing he could do to change his position. He only hoped that whoever it was who had taken him hostage would show up and at least tie him up in a different position. He assumed it was getting dark soon and there was no way he would be able to sleep like this. Hopefully they would take pity on him and untie him enough to let him lay down. "Where were they anyways, and who were they? What did they want with him? If they weren't coming back for him then why did they tie him up," he wondered, as he tried to squirm into a more comfortable position. If he leaned down a little more he could reach his hands up to his mouth and pull the gag off and that's exactly what he decided to do. "I'm sorry little one! I'm not tryin' to squish ya." Bo apologized as he pulled the gag down to his throat and let it hang there as he tried to straighten himself out. Bo finally heard footsteps coming towards him. "Well, well, look who's figured out how to take their gag off! Someone is a naughty boy!" exclaimed a woman's voice somewhere off in the shadows. He had to squint to see where the voice was coming from until she stepped into sight. It was the same woman with the car trouble, but her appearance had changed, now she had long blonde hair, and she didn't have her glasses on anymore. She wore a slick black bodysuit that covered everything except her head, hands, and feet. And she was wearing black heeled boots and black gloves. She reminded Bo of a comic book character that he'd read once, Cat Woman - minus the ears and tail.

"What do you want with me? Why are you keeping me here?" Asked Bo, as a taller man stepped up beside the woman dressed in similar clothing, minus the heels. Bo already knew these two were trouble. "Leverage. You see, we don't know these parts real well and if we are to complete our mission we need someone who knows these parts backwards and forwards. You see, we've been watching you drive all around this town, evading the local law enforcement, and you seem to be just who we are looking for." The man explained while polishing the blade of a large type of hunting knife in his hands. "You will drive the getaway car, and get us as far from here as we need to go... and , if you cooperate nicely with us, we might think about letting you go!" The lady added as she crouched down and brushed Bo's face gently with the back of her fingers. "But if you DON"T," she resumed, "then let's just say BAD things will happen to you and your family! Your cousins Luke and Daisy, dear sweet old Uncle Jesse, is it?" "BANG!" the man shouted for emphasis. "We'll let you think it over" and they both turned to walk away. Bo didn't want them to know that he was hiding a baby within his body. Who knows what they would try to do if they found out. "Wait!... I'll do it! " Bo screamed after them hoping that it would make them be kinder to him. "But can you please just loosen the ropes so I can lay down for the night?" Bo pleaded. They looked at him and then looked back at each other before deciding to act on his pleas. "Fine, but no funny business, and don't forget what we talked about if you try to escape!" said the man holding the knife to Bo's chest while the woman untied and then retied him into a different position.

The next morning, the Dukes woke up early and got a head start on trying to search for Bo. They split up and all took a different area of the town to search and always being open on the CB in case they saw something. Jesse took to searching the town. Luke took the abandoned barns and silos, and Daisy took the back roads.

Bo startled awake, as the man was untying his feet. He grabbed Bo by his still roped hands and yanked him up on his feet. "Show time, Blondie!" commanded the man excitedly to Bo and pushed him towards the gray car that he'd stopped by to help the afternoon before.

Bo's stomach ached from hunger and he could swear that his little one was using his bladder as a bed and a punching bag. He hadn't had supper the night before and he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to get breakfast either. This lack of nutrition definitely wasn't good for either him or the baby. Bo just had to endure it for a little while longer and hoped that he could find a way to escape or alert his family about his whereabouts so they could save him. Although, he didn't want to put his family in danger knowing that these people who had kidnapped him were armed and weren't afraid to kill anyone in their way. "You, get in the driver's seat, and don't do anything STUPID!" ordered the man while the woman joined him in the front passenger seat. The man sat in the back seat behind Bo and put his gun against the back of Bo's seat hard enough where he could feel it though the cushion. One wrong move and you'll regret it!" threatened the man. "Drive! We'll tell you where to go!" The woman ordered.

Daisy stopped at a crossroads and saw a gray car cross by her on her hunt for Bo and noticed that it was Bo who was driving the car. She immediately alerted the rest of the Duke's via CB radio. "You guys are not going to believe this! I just saw Bo driving a gray sedan, heading West into town! There were other people in the car from what it looked like. A woman sitting beside him and another person in the back. I didn't get a good look at the one sitting behind him. Bo looked frightened. I'm going to follow at a distance." Daisy slowly turned onto the road after she had let them get a little farther ahead and trailed them to keep an eye on Bo. If Bo had seen her, he knew she would be following them, she hoped.

Bo had seen Daisy, but pretended not to notice as he passed by. He couldn't risk them shooting at Daisy, or even worse, HIM, when he had no way to defend himself! So he just casually passed her by hoping she understood the fear and desperation in his blank expression.

Bo pulled into town passing by Uncle Jesse in his pickup truck. He knew that his family had already come up with a plan to rescue him, he just needed to wait for the right moment. He parked on the street across from the Hazzard County Bank and waited.

Luke parked the General Lee in a spot where he wouldn't think it would be noticed and made his way over to Jesse's pick-up. "What do you think?" asked Luke to his uncle. "I think if any of us makes the wrong move that Bo will be the one to pay for it, in some way or another." "It looks to me like they're staging a bank robbery and that Bo's the getaway driver," guessed Luke. Soon Daisy pulled up behind them and joined the conversation. "How are we going to get him out of this?" asked Daisy, worried. She wasn't just worried for Bo, she was worried for their new little cousin growing inside of him. She wished she had given him more support since he told them about the baby, but as of recently she had just began to accept it. Seeing Bo over the last few weeks cooing to the tiny baby inside of him and watching him with his hands on his belly trying to feel it made Daisy's heart swell. She knew he would be a great father. He already loved his baby so much. She just hoped that Bo and the baby would make it through this ordeal so that he can experience the full joys of fatherhood.

Luke had an idea and relayed his plans to Daisy and Jesse and then all they had to do was wait for the right moment.

"Listen up, this is how it's going to work, blondie!" the man started, "she's going to be keeping watch, while I run inside the bank. If you do anything stupid we'll know!" The two exited the car and walked across the street. The woman stood at the door of the bank and the man went inside.

Luke saw his chance and took it. He ran up to the side of the car and crouched down so the woman wouldn't see him. Just enough so that Bo could see and hear him. "Bo! you alright?" asked Luke. "Yeah, Luke, I'm fine, what's the plan?" Asked Bo hurriedly. "Quick, switch with me before she notices!" Bo swung the door open and threw himself on the ground as Luke rushed into the drivers seat and closed the door. "You're going to sneak over there to that hedge and hide behind it. The General is parked straight across the park behind the gazebo out of sight of the bank. When I give the signal run as fast as you can to it and wait there." Bo watched as the woman looked down at her watch to make his move and sneaked behind the hedge. The woman turned around and looked in a different direction. "Now, Bo!" Luke signaled, and Bo ran like his life depended on it towards the other end of the park out of sight of the bank and dove into the window of the General Lee just as the bank alarm went off and the two bank robbers made their way to the get away car. Luke jumped out of the car as soon as he saw that Bo had made it over safely, leaving the bank robbers without a getaway driver. Luke ran over to Uncle Jessie and Daisy around the square and waited to see what the bandits were going to do next. They then sped away leaving the town of Hazzard in the dust. By that time, Sheriff Roscoe had showed up and followed them, but knowing Roscoe, he wouldn't have much luck with catching them. So, also knowing Bo, he had already pulled the General around so Luke could join him and they sped off after the deadly duo. "You sure you wanna do this?" asked Luke concernedly. "We can't let them get away, Luke!" "Alright, if you're game, so am I!" Luke smiled as he reached for his bow and an arrow with dynamite on it from the backseat. Bo "YEE-HOOed" as they hit a slope and went airborne in the General. The weightlessness gave Bo butterflies in his stomach which made him think about the baby in there. As they hit the ground the force hurt both boys and knocked the wind out of them as they slammed back against the seats on impact. But the jump had given them an advantage to catching the robbers who had held Bo captive for the last day and a half. Bo wrapped his arm around his mid-section and winced, as Luke climbed out of the still moving car to sit on the windowsill to fire his Arrow at the gray car. He hit the road right in front of them which caused them to swerve off the road and stop in a ditch. Bo and Luke jumped out of the car and as Luke fought with the man, Bo ran around the other side of the car to grab the woman. In the crash, she had lost her gun so Bo didn't need to worry about being shot at the moment. He grabbed her backwards around her waist and held her against his side saying "Oh no you don't" as she fought to try to escape his grasp. He carried her over to the man that Luke had already defeated to wait for Sheriff Roscoe, who wasn't far behind and watched as they were "Cuffed and stuffed" into the police car.

Later that night the Dukes were enjoying having Bo back home safe, and Bo was glad to be back. He had finally gotten to eat something and was resting comfortably on the couch. Daisy came and sat beside him, leaning onto him to hug him and she placed her hand on the small bump of his belly. "I'm so glad you're okay Bo; that BOTH of you are okay." Daisy said as she leaned her head onto her cousins chest. Bo didn't know what to say so he just smiled. At least Daisy was coming around to accepting his baby. He just hoped that Luke and Uncle Jesse would too.

Part III

Bo woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon, and noticed that Luke had already gotten up. Bo was at 20 weeks now, which meant that he was halfway through his pregnancy. His belly was still small but he had grown at least two more inches out in front. He decided to lay in bed for a few more minutes to enjoy some alone time with his baby. Today was the day that he got to find out if he was having a girl or a boy and couldn't wait until his doctors appointment. Uncle Jessie was out of town for the week on a vacation that the boys and Daisy had planned and saved up for him; which meant that the cousins were in charge of keeping up with the farm while he was away.

Bo felt his baby kick inside him and put his hand over the spot. He lightly tapped back at it and it kicked him some more. There was no greater feeling in the world that could compare to that of feeling his own baby moving inside him. "I guess we need to get up now," he spoke to the baby. His jeans were getting tighter and tighter over the last few weeks. He had been able to fasten them but today he wasn't having much luck with it. "You're gettin' big, little one!" He stood in front of the free standing, antique mirror that was in the boys room admiring himself and rubbing his belly up and down a few times with one hand before resting his palm lightly on the bottom part of his belly as if he were supporting it. He watched his belly rise and fall with his breath and baby movement. He was in awe of this tiny little baby inside and what it did to him.

Luke had started noticing Bo's belly growing. It looked a little bigger every day and he tried not to stare. His belly was becoming more round and filling out, and Luke couldn't deny that his cousin was actually starting to look pregnant.

He wondered why Bo wasn't up yet and went to check on him. When he peered through the open doorway, he caught a glimpse of Bo having an emotionally tender, fatherly bonding moment with the child in his belly. He was standing shirtless in front of the mirror looking down at his belly, whispering softly to it, smiling, and rubbing it ever so gently. Luke thought the moment he stole of them was beautiful. He quickly turned and walked away as he realized it seemed like an invasion of privacy.

"Where's Bo?" Asked Daisy as Luke ventured back into the kitchen. "He's comin.' I think he's still tryin' to find somethin' to wear. None of his jeans fit anymore." Luke replied, still picturing the intimate images of father and child that he just witnessed in his mind. "Aww, Poor Bo!" giggled Daisy. "What's this "Poor Bo"-ing about in here?" Bo asked heartily as he came around the corner and into the kitchen. He was still in his night pants but was wearing his blue t-shirt that was almost too small now and his yellow long sleeve unbuttoned and loose. The sight of him half dressed like this made Daisy giggle some more. Bo just smiled and shook his head as he realized why he was the joke of the day. "Well are you gonna help me or not?" He asked. "Can you let these out in the waist so I can at least have something to wear while I shop for more clothes today?" He handed a pair of his favorite, worn out jeans to Daisy. "Sure thing, Bo! I'll see what I can do. I was wondering when you were gonna ask me to do this," she laughed as she took them from him and headed into her room to get her sewing kit.

Bo just shook his head again and curled his lips. "Why don't you take it easy today, Bo. There aren't that many chores to do on the farm today and I can handle them pretty easy." Luke suggested. "Go shopping and go to your doctors appointment. Have fun!" Luke added as Daisy came back into the room with Bo's newly mended pair of jeans. "You sure, Luke?" Bo asked, taking his pair of jeans from Daisy. "Yeah, I mean it! You shouldn't be working so hard ALL of the time. You're getting further along and I'd hate to see you hurt yourself, or that baby." Luke gestured to Bo's abdomen with the rolled up newspaper in his hand. "Uh.. Okay." Bo stammered as he turned to go back to his room to finish getting dressed. He wondered what was up with Luke today. He'd never acted like he'd cared this much about the baby. He even said the word baby and pointed to his stomach. That was odd. Bo fastened his jeans, although they were still pretty tight. He didn't even try to tuck his shirts in today. He'd just let it flow openly. Who cared what he looked like. He was pregnant and he wasn't going to be ashamed of that.

Daisy left for work and Luke got started on chores. Bo fiddled around the interior of the house and did some housework. He dusted the shelves and pictures, swept part of the floor and put away the dishes from breakfast. He was getting bored so he went outside to ask Luke to let him help with something. "I've got it Bo. Why don't you go shopping for clothes now?" Luke had said to try and get rid of Bo. "Okay... Luke?," Bo tried to start a conversation. "Yeah, Bo?" Luke asked while digging a shovel into the ground to make room for a new fence post. "Uh... well, um, you know my doctors appointment is today right?" Bo paused and then continued before Luke could answer. "Well, I get to find out if I'm having a boy or a girl today. It would be real special if you and Daisy were able to go with me. I wanted to ask Uncle Jesse but he's on vacation..." Bo looked at the hole that Luke just dug. Luke stopped digging and shoved the tip of the shovel into the ground. "Well, I'm not sure what time I'll be done with this. You sound scared. Are you alright?" Luke asked, noticing a change in Bo's tone. Bo looked at his cousin and shook his head before speaking. "I'm fine Luke. I just thought that maybe you would like to go since you've never been to one of my appointments before, and with this being a huge event I just thought..." Bo put his hands on his hips and stopped talking before he finished his sentence, weighing the options of how hard his next words could hit, "...well...I just thought that maybe you cared!" Bo turned and walked away, hurt that Luke didn't understand why this was so important to him, angry that his cousin that he grew up with refused to accept that he was having a baby, and tired of trying to convince him otherwise. Couldn't he see his growing belly? Didn't he notice when Daisy and Uncle Jesse got so happy and gleeful at feeling his baby kick their hands from inside of him? Not once had Luke ever asked to feel the baby, or talked about the baby. This morning was different and that got Bo's hopes up that maybe Luke was starting to accept it. But now he could see that he was wrong and that broke Bo's heart.

Bo didn't like shopping, but he had to do something about his clothing predicament or pretty soon he'd be walking around naked because nothing that he owned would fit! He browsed through the racks until he found some clothes he liked and went to try them on. They were a bit loose and he asked himself how much bigger would he get? He would just have to wear a belt until his waist grew out more. He'd rather have too much room than not enough and have to go shopping again. He checked out at the register and paid for his items and as he was walking out of the store he noticed some baby clothes and a small toy teddy bear in the window of the next store over. Was this a baby shop? How had he never noticed this was here before? He placed his bag of clothes in the General Lee and went over to explore the little shop. Upon entering, he heard a greeting somewhere in the back from what he assumed was one of the store owners and greeted them back. As he walked around he was entranced by all the little baby dresses and clothes, and diapers, and bottles, and toys, and blankets, and it suddenly hit him that he didn't have any of this for his baby. How could he have a baby and not even be thinking about what it was going to wear, or eat, or play with? He only had a few bucks left which wouldn't be enough to get his baby everything that it would need, and he felt ashamed for not being able to provide all of this stuff for his child. But after browsing the store for a while he came across a soft pink baby blanket. He felt like it was calling him and pulling him to it. He had never felt something so soft or soothing before. He didn't know if he needed anything in pink yet, but he fell in love with the idea of having a daughter. Disappointed, and empty handed, he left the store.

Luke had finished up digging the holes for the fence posts and took a break. How could Bo think that he didn't care about him or his baby? Of course he cared! He just had a hard way of showing it, he guessed. This wasn't easy for him, Bo was still Bo, but just different somehow. More careful, and gentle?... Luke had never seen this side of him before and it was weird not seeing Bo erratic and impulsive like he was before. It was almost time for lunch and Luke headed into the house to grab a bite to eat. As he looked around it suddenly caught his attention that this house didn't have a single item for a baby in it. Where was the kid supposed to sleep, they didn't even have a bassinet or anything. No cradle, no toys, not even a bottle! Luke thought long and hard and figured that Uncle Jesse must've kept some of their old baby stuff somewhere, but where?

Bo still had a few hours until his appointment so he decided to join Daisy at the Boar's Nest. He wasn't going to drink, but just stop in to enjoy the company, eat some popcorn, and maybe Cooter would be there too! "Hey Bo! What are you doing here?" Greeted Daisy as she saw Bo come in. "Just here to kill some time. Luke's kicked me off the farm for the day so, officially, I have nothing to do." Said Bo as he took a sip of some water out of a glass that Daisy handed to him. "Well, I don't know how much fun you're going to have here today. It's been pretty slow and Boss has some new scheme cooking that you'd better stay away from." Warned Daisy. "Oh come on now Daisy, what's ole boss goin' to get himself into this time?" Bo asked. "Beats me! I have no clue... But he and Roscoe have been shut up in his office in the back room all day. So if I were you I'd stay out of trouble." Daisy warned again and went to wipe down some tables.

"Jackpot!" Luke screamed as he opened the attic hatch in the house. He had found all of Bo's and his and Daisy's old baby items. He climbed farther up into the attic and tried to look for something that could be salvageable. The moths had eaten away most of the clothes and blankets, but there was a small wooden rocking cradle which Luke though would be perfect. That way Bo could sleep with the baby next to his bed. He also found an old teddy bear that used to belong to Bo as a child. "This would be extra special to Bo since he used to take this little thing everywhere with him as a toddler," Luke remembered. Being a few years older than Bo, Luke was able to remember most of Bo's favorite childhood toys. He even saw a few of his own toys that he wouldn't mind giving to the little one if only they weren't so ruined by moths and age. Luke sighed as he grabbed the few items and carried them down from the attic. He'd clean these up and make them look good as new!

"Daisy, are you going to be off work soon?" Asked Bo, eagerly. "Well, I've still got another two hours sugar. Why?" Asked Daisy concerned. " I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the doctor with me today to find out what I'm having." Bo explained. " Bo, I would love to! But unfortunately Boss won't let me off early today. I'm sorry sugar. But I'm sure you'll tell me all about it tonight, huh? Did you ask Luke if he wanted to go with you?" Daisy put some drinks down at a nearby table while still tuning her ear to Bo's reply. "Yeah... I already asked him, he said he couldn't go either," Bo sighed heavily. "That's okay, though. I guess y'all' will see the baby when it's born." Daisy touched Bo's cheek. "I'm really sorry, Bo. I do wish I could go, I just can't today, I don't make my schedule" Daisy apologized. "That's okay Daisy. I understand." Bo half smiled up at his cousin. "Well, I'd better be heading on over there. I'll see ya tonight, alright? Hopefully I'll have news of whether or not you're still going to be the only girl in the house," Bo laughed as he walked out and slowly slid himself behind the wheel of the General Lee. It looked like he'd be doing this alone... again. "What was the point of even telling his family about the baby if no one wanted to share this with him?" He wondered, as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove towards the hospital.

Luke had the rocking cradle all polished and shined up in no time. It looked brand new! He re-stuffed the bedding in it with some sheep wool that Uncle Jesse had been saving, and he patched some holes together. The only thing he didn't have was a blanket that the baby could lay on and be swaddled in. He wished he had time to go to the store but he didn't even know where to find a baby blanket, not that he could afford one anyways. He'd have to talk to Daisy later and figure something out about getting more supplies for Bo's baby. He was already at the halfway point and these weeks had flown by too fast. Sooner than they knew it the baby would be here and Luke wanted to make sure that Bo was ready.

Three o'clock finally rolled around and it was time for Bo's appointment. He had been impatiently waiting in the waiting room hoping that any second now they would call him back. He was so nervous. All this time he'd been calling his tiny baby, little one! In a few short moments he would be able to call it his son or daughter. "Don't worry, little one. I'm going to love you more than anything no matter what you are!" Bo cooed to the baby as he felt a small kick in his tummy. "Bo Duke?" He heard the doctor call his name and he got up and walked through the doors for his exam.

Bo left the hospital feeling more in love with his baby than he thought he could ever be. He sat in the General for a few moments until the tears of joy stopped flowing so he could see clearly enough to drive back home and break the news to his cousins. "I'm always going to protect you, and love you, and be here for you always, no matter what!" Bo hugged his belly as he spent these few moments getting used to knowing his baby in a new way.

On the way home, Bo passed through town and either out of impulse, or a calling, or divine intervention, he didn't know what, he stopped into that baby shop and spent his last few dollars on that soft pink baby blanket.

The house was quiet and empty when Bo got home. He lugged his shopping bags into the kitchen and dropped them on the table. "Hey Luke? Daisy? Anybody home?" Bo called out getting no answer. Bo sighed, "Oh well. I guess they had more important things to do." Bo thought to himself. He grabbed up his bags and went to put the new clothes away in his and Luke's bedroom and when he opened the door he saw, right next to his bed, there sat the most beautiful cradle he'd ever seen. Although he could swear it looked familiar. He walked over to it and ran his hand over the wooden rail, feeling the smoothness of the freshly sanded wood and stain. He was almost about to cry when he heard someone walking up behind him. "I thought you could use this," Luke said gently. Daisy walked in behind Luke and handed Bo the little teddy bear that he used to love as a child, except it had been stitched up, re-stuffed, and cleaned. "I have no clue where to find a baby blanket for it, but I'll get one before the baby comes, I promise," said Luke. Bo didn't say a word. He couldn't. He put down the little bear into the cradle and realizing he was still holding onto the shopping bag from the baby store, he reached inside and pulled out the pink baby blanket that he'd bought earlier.

"IT'S A GIRL!" Daisy screamed as she threw her arms around Bo. "Well, I'll be... another girl in the family!" Luke exclaimed, as he reached over and wrapped his arms around Bo and embraced him in a way that he hadn't done in a long time. Bo couldn't contain his emotions any longer. Tears fell from his eyes, and they all laughed and cried together for a few moments, before Bo showed them the updated sonogram picture that read "It's a girl" on the front.

Part IV

It was a rainy day in Hazzard County. The weather station had warned that it was supposed to be a bad one. After the boys and Uncle Jesse and Daisy tied up some loose farm equipment and made sure the livestock was locked safely in the barn, the boys and Uncle Jesse stayed inside and played cards and board games, while waiting for the storm to pass. Daisy was at work at the Boar's Nest since Boss Hogg demanded that it stayed open for revenue rain or shine!

When the boys got tired of playing games, Bo decided that he would go lie down and take a nap, while Uncle Jesse sat down in his favorite rocking chair in the living room to read the newspaper, and Luke sat on the couch to read a car magazine.

Bo walked into the bedroom and took off his boots as he sat down onto his bed. He was at 32 and 1/2 weeks and no matter how much sleep he got he always felt tired now. He wished he still had that energy boost that he'd gotten in his earlier stage of pregnancy. He hadn't grown but another inch and a half since his halfway mark, but the doctor told him that the baby's measurements were normal and that everything was going along just right. He blamed his toned abdominal muscles that he'd had before pregnancy for not allowing his belly to stretch out more. Also, the farm work kept him in shape so he hadn't gained much weight. "Eight more weeks to go little one... unless you decide to come earlier for me," Bo spoke to his daughter inside of him. He was more than ready to finally meet and hold in his arms his little girl. He laid on his bed gently running his hands over his belly. Once in a while he'd feel a nudge against the inside of him. The baby wasn't as active as it had been before, probably from being squashed inside of him as it grew. He wished his belly would let out a little so it wasn't so cramped in there for her but as baby's grow it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. It didn't matter which way the baby was turned since he wouldn't be having a natural delivery anyways. But he had felt the baby shift to a head down position as if it knew it would be delivered naturally. He wondered how babies knew when it was almost time for them to be born. There were so many things that he wondered about being pregnant now. It was all intriguing to him, and miraculous! Bo fell asleep to the sound of rain pouring on the tin roof and his baby girl on his mind.

Bo, Luke, Daisy, and Uncle Jesse had been buying little baby items here and there over the last few weeks whenever they could spare a few dollars. They had already stocked up on bottles and baby formula, diapers and clothes, blankets, and a car seat for when they took the baby on car rides. Bo knew about a few items that they had gotten for him but he didn't know how much they had gotten in all. The plan was that Luke, Daisy and Uncle Jesse were going to surprise him by throwing him a baby shower. Most of the Duke's closest friends knew about Bo and the baby, but they encouraged them not to spread the news in case someone unfavorable found out and tried to hurt or expose Bo and his daughter. The last thing they needed right now was a media circus and knowing Boss Hogg, he would try to use Bo as a way to make a profit in some way or another. Fortunately, the air was cooler outside since it was getting close to winter time, so Bo was able to wear his thick Brown Jacket to hide his growing belly whenever he had to go to town or out in the public. Mostly, he'd just wear his button down plaid shirts that were too big for him, and roll them up at the sleeves while letting the bottoms hang loosely down, instead of tucking them in.

"What day should we plan the shower for Bo,?" asked Luke to Uncle Jesse after checking to make sure Bo was asleep and wouldn't over hear them talking. "I think we'd better let this storm pass before we start trying to make any plans. Who knows how much damage there will be from it?" suggested Uncle Jesse. "I know, Uncle Jesse, I just don't want Bo to have the kid before we get a chance to throw him one," sighed Luke as he walked around to the fireplace to poke at a few logs in the fire to keep them burning. "Bo's got plenty of time left, eight weeks is long enough of a time span to plan a party," assured Uncle Jesse through his newspaper. "I just hope it doesn't decide to come early," said Luke, scratching his chin from some razor irritation from his morning shave. "Uncle Jesse, did you know that Bo was having a baby before he told all of us?" questioned Luke as he sat back onto the couch. "I had a feeling that something was off about him, but I figured he'd tell us when the time was right," Jesse folded and put down his newspaper, "Bo was acting strange and I could tell he was trying to work through something in his mind, and I had my suspicions that a baby was involved somehow or another, but I never would've guessed for it to be Bo that was carrying it." Uncle Jesse admitted as he leaned back into his rocking chair. "I never would have guessed it in a million years had he not said somethin' about it! It is strange I'll admit, but I've also never seen Bo happier than he is now with that baby inside of him." Luke smiled thinking about how much Bo had changed as he spoke. Luke was happy for Bo; all of the Duke's were.

Bo woke up to the sound of a lightening crack nearby. He checked his alarm clock and noticed that he'd slept for two hours. It was still raining pretty hard outside. The roads would be washed out completely by the time this storm was over, he thought, as he struggled to sit up and swing his legs off the side of the bed. He hoped his baby girl wouldn't try to make an appearance anytime soon with this storm going on. He slid one foot into a boot, and then the other as he stood. He stopped to take a quick look in the mirror noticing how his body had changed with child so far, he ran his fingers through his curly blond locks to smooth out his messy hair, wiped the sleep from his eyes and walked out of the bedroom to grab a snack and a glass of water.

"Well, look who's up!" Luke chided as noticed Bo come into the room. He sat on the floor and fiddled with the radio trying to pick up a good news station. "The storm's getting worse out there!" He added so that Bo was updated on what was happening. Bo walked into the kitchen and reached for an apple on the table before making his way back into the living room to join Luke and Uncle Jesse. "I sure hope Daisy will be alright to drive home in this!" He said as he sat down on the couch and took a bite out of it. "Her jeep should be able to make it through most of these washed out roads." Luke said as he held the small radio up against his ear listening for a clear sound and then put it back down on the coffee table. "BREAKING NEWS! The town of Hazzard county is issuing a curfew for all citizens. The storm is expected to turn into a deadly disaster! We encourage EVERYONE to return to their homes and TAKE SHELTER as soon as possible! I repeat, EVERYONE needs to return home and TAKE SHELTER as soon as possible!" The man on the radio warned. "We've gotta tell Daisy!" Uncle Jesse shouted as he made his way to the telephone. "Maybell, get me the Boar's Nest!" Jesse bellowed into the phone. "Right away, Mr. Duke!" She replied on the other end of the line. When he was connected, Daisy answered the phone at the Boar's nest. "Hello! This is the Boar's Nest, Daisy speaking, how may I help you?" she answered. "Daisy! It's your Uncle Jesse. The news reporter on the radio just alerted that Hazzard County is under a curfew. The storm's supposed to get worse and he told everyone to go home and take shelter right away!" Jesse relayed the message to Daisy. "Oh, Uncle Jesse! I'm going to head home right now!" Daisy yelled as she hung up the phone. "The Boar's nest is CLOSED. Everybody needs to head home and TAKE SHELTER RIGHT NOW! She screamed at the few remaining patrons in the bar. They all ran out and Daisy locked up and ran to her jeep, DIXIE. The roads were completely washed out and Daisy was glad that she had her jeep to cut through the muck and mud. The rain was coming down so hard that she could hardly see in front of her. A tree had fallen over onto the road and Daisy had to slam on breaks to keep from hitting it. The trunk was way too thick and the branches were stinking out blocking the whole area around it. She tried backing up to try another route but her tires got stuck in the mud. The more she tried to get out, the deeper she sank. "Bo Peep to Shepherd and Lost Sheep!" she spoke into the CB hoping that they were listening.

Uncle Jesse heard Daisy on the CB Radio and responded back. "Shepherd here, Daisy are you on your way?" He asked, worriedly. "I was, but a tree fell across the road and is blocking the whole way through. I tried to back up to take another way but my jeep is stuck in the mud!" Daisy yelled. "Now Daisy just sit right there! The boys will be there in a few minutes!" Jesse replied.

"Luke, you're going to have to go and get Daisy!" Uncle Jesse yelled.

"I'm on it!" Luke replied as he made his way to the door.

"Well, hold up! I'm coming too!" Bo said as he ran out the door after Luke before either of them could protest.

"They found Daisy in her jeep on the opposite side of a large tree that was across the road.

"Alright Bo, now I'm going to get the chains and see if we can pull this tree off the road. You just sit here and drive when I tell you!" Luke climbed out of the car and opened the trunk to grab the chains and started wrapping them around the tree trunk and then connected them to the back of the General Lee. "Alright Bo! Now!" Luke screamed through the deafening loudness of the rain. Bo hit the gas pedal on the General and nothing happened, the tree was too big and heavy. Luke went up to the tree to grab a hold of one of the branches to pull it for some extra leverage. "Alright Bo, try it again!" Luke yelled. Bo hit the gas again with a little more force and the tree slid forward a little. Luke walked towards the stump of the tree to see why it didn't want to move. He wanted to get a better look at what the end of the tree was doing while it was being pulled. "Okay Bo, give it all you've got!" He screamed and Bo hit the gas again. This time the tree moved just enough to where they could drive through to Daisy, but at the last second the chain snapped off of the tree and hit Luke, knocking him unconscious and he was dragged down the side of the steep ditch by the rushing water that was going over the road. "LUKE!" Bo yelled as he rushed to get out of the car, getting immediately soaked by the rain. "Daisy, call for help! Luke's hurt real bad!" he yelled as he trekked his way through the mud down the hill being careful not to slip. He knelt into the mud as he reached Luke and picked his head up out of the water as Daisy called for an ambulance on the CB. There was no reply. In this storm, no one would be able to come to their aid. So Bo made the decision to get Luke up and into one of the vehicles to take him to the hospital himself. "Daisy? Daisy, you've got to help me! I cant move him by myself!" He yelled as he struggled to lift him up. Daisy carefully ran down to help and together they carried Luke to Daisy's jeep since it would be easier getting him into there than in the General Lee. He knew that he shouldn't be straining himself so hard for fear of hurting his baby girl but Luke needed help now and he wasn't going to let his cousin die. Bo hooked up the chains to DIXIE and pulled her free from the mud. Then Daisy rushed Luke to the hospital with Bo following right behind!

In the waiting room, all they could do was pray and hope that Luke would be okay. Daisy had called Uncle Jesse as soon as they made it to the hospital. She told him to stay at home and wait until the storm passed and that her or Bo would keep him updated on Luke's condition.

They were both covered in mud and soaking wet. Daisy was pacing the room while Bo had turned a chair around and sat backwards in it, leaning his chest against the back of it with his head bowed onto his arms that were crossed on top of it. "Oh, Bo. Do you think he's goin' to be alright?" Daisy asked, emotional. Bo lifted his head and looked at her as he replied, "I don't know Daisy. He took a really hard hit back there. I hope he'll be fine. All we can do is wait!" He moved one of his arms from the top of the chair to his belly as he tried rubbing the soreness away that was developing in his sides. Daisy noticed Bo's discomfort and started to worry about him too. "Did you hurt yourself?" She asked, concerned. "Uh, no, I'm okay... just a little sore." Bo grimaced. "I'll be fine." "What about the baby?" She asked. "I'm sure the baby is fine too, Daisy." He smiled and half-laughed at her concern for them. He didn't feel like anything was wrong with the baby and he had been careful to avoid any blows or nudges to his stomach. He wasn't in any pain except for his sore muscles and he was freezing from being in wet clothes in the winter time.

Finally the doctor came out to give them the news about Luke. It was the same doctor who Bo saw every other week for his check-ups. The doctor gave Bo a concerned look when he noticed

that he was covered from head to boots in mud. He wondered if Bo had fallen or sustained any kind of trauma that could have injured the baby inside of him. He explained that Luke had a concussion, and two broken ribs, but he would be fine. "Are you sure I don't need to check on you too, Bo?" The doctor asked. "Uh... No Doc, I think I'm alright. I'll be back in a few days anyways for another check-up." Bo assured as he rubbed his belly. He did that more often out of habit now than concern. "Alright, well. I'm going to keep Luke here overnight. Why don't you two get home, and be careful out there!" He warned, as he headed back through the trauma room doors.

The next morning, the rain had disappeared and the sun was shining bright. The Duke's made sure to be at the hospital bright and early to pick up Luke. He was just waking up when he heard a familiar, "Howdy, Stranger!" from Bo who was sitting in a chair next to him. "Hey there yourself!" he grumbled back still groggy from pain medicine and sleep. "You sure had us all worried there for a minute," said Daisy as she made her way across the room to him. "I'm a fighter! Y'all should know not to worry about me!" Luke joked as he tried to sit up. He struggled against the pain in his back. "Now take it easy there, Luke!" Uncle Jesse warned. "You've got two broken ribs and a concussion!" "Oh, and uh, by the way, You're Pregnant!" Bo added. Everyone looked at him with shocked faces. "I'm KIDDING!" Bo laughed and threw his hands up in surrender as everyone burst out laughing. "Let's get you home, kiddo!" Uncle Jesse said as they all left the room to give Luke some privacy to get dressed.

The farm was a mess from the storm but the Duke's were glad that no one was too seriously injured. They would spend the next few weeks doing some clean up after Luke was feeling better.

"Hey Bo, what'd'ya say we stop by the Boar's Nest real quick," said Luke while the boys were out driving around inspecting the damage of the storm. "Sure Luke!" said Bo as he steered the car into the direction of their favorite hangout.

Both of the boys grunted and struggled to get out of their car after they had pulled into a parking spot. The boys were busy mocking each other as they walked through the doors and Bo got a huge surprise as everyone shouted "CONGRATULATIONS!" and threw confetti in the air. The Boar's Nest was all decorated in pink and white balloons and banners. "This is all for you, cousin... well, and your baby!" Luke said as he playfully slapped Bo on the shoulder and gripped him. Bo stood there looking puzzled, wondering why they were throwing him and his baby a party. "It's your baby shower!" Yelled Daisy as she came up and kissed his cheek and gave his belly a rub. There were several people there he recognized that knew knew about the baby. Cooter was there, and Deputy Enos Straight, who had come back for a visit to Hazzard. Daisy had been keeping him updated on the latest news while he was away, and there were a few other familiar faces. "Y'all didn't have to do all this for ME!" Bo exclaimed, thankful that so many people cared about him and the baby this much to throw him a party and get presents for the baby. "Thank-you so much, everybody!" Bo yelled so everyone could hear him. "This really means so much!" He pressed his hand to his heart as he spoke letting them know that he was touched by their generosity and love. They played some games and opened gifts and he thanked the guests again as they left until only the Dukes were the last ones left in the building. Bo was truly amazed at the lengths his family went for him. He was thankful for such a wonderful family and friends who would always be there for him, and he was proud to bring his baby into a world where she would always know how much she was loved.

Part V

It was a lovely January Saturday morning at the Duke farm, and it just so happened to be the day of Bo's 40th week mark. He couldn't wait for his daughter to arrive. He had visited the doctor the day before on Friday for one last check-up and set a date for the following Monday for Bo's surgery to deliver his baby girl. The Duke's were all in the living room and Bo and Luke had gotten out their guitars and were strumming away and singing their merry little hearts out on the couch, while Jesse and Daisy sat around enjoying the music.

The guitar rested up against Bo's belly and the sound and vibration of the music was flowing through to the baby. He could tell the baby was enjoying it as he played, because it would give a few kicks of excitement every now and then. The baby hadn't been much active as he got closer to his due date, but right now it felt like his little girl was dancing to the rhythm, and he loved that. "Are you excited about Monday, Bo?" asked Daisy as they finished one song. "You know I sure am Daisy!" Bo replied as he picked a few notes on his guitar. "Ya know, the baby is lovin' this music! I haven't felt her this active in weeks!" Bo added, as he put his guitar to the side so that his family could see the imprints of tiny little nudges coming from inside of his belly through his skin and blue t-shirt. The Duke's weren't planning on having any company over, so Bo he didn't care about wearing clothes that hugged tight to his rounded stomach around the farm. It made it easy for him and his family to see every move from the baby as he leaned back against the couch. "At least you won't have to worry about going through labor!" Luke said, humorously. "HA, yeah, you got that right!" Bo laughed and rubbed over his belly with both hands, stopping when he reached the bottom, and let his hands rest on his lap. "I can't wait to get my body back!" Bo admitted. "Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE being pregnant, and feeling her move inside of me, it's AMAZING! I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat." Bo paused as he lovingly stared at his rounded stomach. "Hopefully, one day, Daisy, you'll get to have this experience and then you'll understand what I'm talking about... ONE day, hopefully not anytime soon!" Bo laughed, as Uncle Jesse gave him a stern look. Daisy was older than Bo, so she might have the chance pretty soon, if she could ever find a man worthy enough to settle down with. He hoped that Luke would find a nice girl too so he could understand the joy of fatherhood as well. But as for Bo, he was the youngest of the Duke's and he was already starting this little family of his own. He wished that he could find a nice girl to settle down with and help him raise his daughter as well, but he was content to do it on his own and figured that he would be spending so much time loving his baby girl and raising her that he wouldn't need a mother for his daughter. He still had Daisy to help with the girl problems after all, but he didn't have to worry about that for a very long while, until his baby girl was a teenager anyways. "Welp, I need to run to town to pick up a few things from the store and grab that spark plug from Cooter for General Lee. Ya coming Bo?" Asked Luke as he stood up to put his guitar away. "Yeah, sure, I'll go.

There's a few things I need to get for the baby before she comes," Bo said, struggling a little to sit up as Luke grabbed his hands to pull him up. "Just le'me grab my Jacket." He said as he walked towards the bedroom to put his guitar away also.

Bo was glad he could still climb into the General Lee even at nine-months pregnant. He let Luke do most of the driving while he just sat back and relaxed as the wind blew through the car from the open windows. They pulled into town and got to work on knocking out their shopping list. Luke left the General parked at Cooter's garage for him to replace the worn-out spark plug, while him and Bo strolled down the street to the store. Little did they know that trouble was a brewin' right around the corner.

As the boys made their way out of the first shop, they saw the General Lee speeding past them with two masked men in it.

"HEY, THAT'S OUR CAR!" Luke yelled as he attempted to run after them. He only got a few strides ahead before he realized that he'd never catch them on foot. The boys hurried back to Cooter's to find out what happened. "I don't know y'all. These two dudes just hopped into the General Lee and took off before I even knew what was happening!" Cooter explained.

Unfortunately for the Duke's, everyone in Hazzard knew their car. So it wasn't long before Sheriff Roscoe showed up searching for Bo and Luke. "FREEZE YOU DUKE'S!" Sheriff Roscoe shrieked as he exited his car with his pistol drawn and aimed towards them. "You two are under arrest for bank robbery! Now turn around so I can cuff ya and stuff ya!" He made his way to the boys as they looked at each other and raised their hands in surrender. "Now Roscoe you know for a fact that it wasn't us who robbed the bank!" Bo tried to convince Roscoe, but it was no use. Sheriff Roscoe and Boss Hogg were always looking for a way to pin some crime on the Duke's. "Yeah, those two guys just STOLE OUR CAR!" Luke yelled pointing in the direction that he'd seen them speed off in. "Oh that's a load of HOGWASH if I've ever heard it! Now turn around!" Roscoe nudged them as they did what they were told. "Run for it, Luke! Get outta here and find those guys!" Bo whispered to Luke as Roscoe was putting the cuffs on him. Bo couldn't run very far or very fast with the baby putting pressure on his hips now and he didn't want to risk falling or running into something that would hurt her, or himself, being this far along. But Luke could run and he could get away and prove their innocence. "No WAY, Bo! I'm not leaving you like this!" Luke whispered back and let Roscoe handcuff him. "Now get into my patrol car! SCOOT!" Ordered Roscoe as he pushed them towards it. "Roscoe this is crazy!" Shouted Cooter. "You and I both know that Bo and Luke didn't do it!" "HUSH Cooter! The boys were seen running from the bank, hopping into their car and speeding away from the scene! If that don't spell GUILTY then I don't know what does!" Roscoe giggled as he opened the door for the boys to get in. Luke got in first and scooted over so Bo could sit in after him. Bo struggled to get into the car because of his expanded belly and it took him a few tries before he felt comfortable to sit down fully. "Oh for the love of gumdrops! What's taking so long, Bo? Will you just get in the car! Don't be thinking about trying to escape now!" Roscoe exclaimed. "I'm tryin, Roscoe, just gimme a second!" Bo responded as he finally eased his way into the backseat of the police car. "I don't know why it's so hard, all you gotta do is sit down," Roscoe grumbled under his breath as he made his way around the front of his patrol car and got inside.

"Shepherd and Bo Peep, y'all got your ears on? This is CRAAAZY Cooter comin' at ya? This is an emergency!

"Uh, Shepherd here, what's the problem Cooter?" Uncle Jesse responded through the CB in his pick-up. He had been outside feeding the chickens in the front yard when he heard the call.

"The boys have been arrested! Roscoe just hauled 'em away in his patrol car. Two dudes in masks robbed the bank and stole the General Lee as their getaway car and Roscoe is pinning it on Bo and Luke!" Cooter explained through the CB.

"BLAST that Roscoe!" Jesse shouted, as Daisy heard the commotion and ran outside. "We'll be right there, Cooter! Uh... how's Bo doin'?" asked Jesse worriedly. "He seemed to be doing just fine, Uncle Jesse... probably won't be for very long the way Roscoe was pushing him like he was." Cooter muttered. "We're on our way! Uh, Over and Out!" Shouted Jesse as he and Daisy jumped into the pick-up truck and drove towards town to the Hazzard County Jail.

Meanwhile, the two guys that had stolen the General were having bad luck. "What's wrong with this car?!" The man driving yelled as the General started sputtering out. He pulled over and hit the steering wheel as it came to a halt on the side of the road. They had gotten just a few miles away from town and no one was chasing them. "Let's go the rest of the way on foot! We're not far from our hideout" The other guy proclaimed as he climbed out. They left the General Lee sitting there and took off into the woods with their loot.

Back at the Hazzard County Jail, Bo and Luke were cooling their heels in the Jail cells downstairs. Roscoe had put them in separate cells hoping that it would make it harder for them to escape.

"Man, don't this beat all!" Bo yelled as he found a spot on the back wall to lean against.

"Yeah, I can't believe this! Leave it to Roscoe to put the blame on us!" Luke seethed as he sat onto the little cot and crossed his arms.

Bo started to feel some discomfort in his abdomen so he stretched a little to try to relieve it. It wasn't until he looked down at his jeans and realized something was very wrong!

"Uh... Luke! You're not gonna to believe this, but... uh... I think my water just broke!"

Luke jumped up and ran to the side of his cell closest to Bo to get a better look. "CRAP!" Luke yelled as he saw the front of Bo's jeans and realized it had puddled at his feet onto the floor. Bo looked at him with fear in his eyes and was as pale as a ghost. "Uh.. jus.. just hang on Bo!" Luke panicked as he tried to think of a plan to get him and Bo out of there. He paced back and forth with his hands on his head trying to think. Bo doubled over on himself and put his hands on his knees as the first hard contraction hit. "AHHH!" Bo moaned as he waited for it to pass. "Just HOLD ON, Bo!" Luke pepped while trying to think harder.

The contractions were progressing fast. They were getting worse and closer together and it seemed like where one eased off another would take it's place. Luke had tried everything that he could think of: fastening their belts together to use as a makeshift lasso to get the keys, using their belt buckles as a crowbar to try and pry the hinges off the doors, even ramming the door with his body a few times, nothing was working. He had tried idea after idea and it was all useless. Bo knew he couldn't physically deliver the baby in this cell, but he didn't want to be in this agonizing pain for hours or days either. His body was telling him to push but it would be no use either. The baby was stuck inside of him until a doctor cut it out through his stomach. Which meant that he would be in active labor until then. This was torture! He needed to get this baby out NOW!

Luke was trying every idea he could think of. He'd tried calling for help but no one came. He couldn't stand seeing Bo being tortured by his own body like this. He was screaming in pain loud enough for all of Hazzard to hear, but still no one came to help. He wished Roscoe had put them in the same cell so that he could at least try to comfort Bo so he wouldn't be going through this alone in there.

It seemed like it had been hours and Bo was spent! He couldn't take this anymore! He felt another contraction and another urge to push but nothing happened. He worried that all these contractions were squeezing the baby to death but there was nothing he could do to stop it, and as another contraction hit, all he could do was SCREAM!

Finally, Roscoe had returned to the jail and had heard enough of this yelling and went downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. "What's all this screaming about down here? Bo, you sound like you're dyin', cut that out now," Roscoe said as he entered the room. He saw Bo lying on the floor curled up into a ball in a puddle of something wet that he didn't know what was or how it got there. Luke started screaming at Roscoe, "Roscoe you've gotta help him! Take him to the hospital, PLEASE!..." Roscoe was confused and just stood there, trying to decide if the boys were trying to pull a fast one on him as a ruse to escape. "PLEASE! ROSCOE I"M BEGGING YOU! Bo needs to go to the hospital RIGHT NOW! HE'S IN LABOR!" Luke screamed in panic and frustration. He couldn't stand to see his cousin in any more pain like this and begged Roscoe to help him.

"He's in Labor?" Roscoe asked when he finally wrapped his head around what Luke had said. "Well, Bo can't be in labor. He's a man, and men don't have babies!" Roscoe may not be the brightest apple on the tree but even he knew that it was impossible for a man to get pregnant.

"PLEASE ROSCOE, I'm having a baby! Right NOW!" Bo groaned as he sat up and leaned against the cot. He was still curled up with his knees pulled up as close to his chest as he could pull them to help ease some of the pain. "But Bo, you're not pregnant!" stated Roscoe walking closer towards Bo's cell, but was confused and curious at why Bo was in so much pain. Bo tried to stand, leaning forwards and gripping onto the cell bars for support and opened his jacket so that Roscoe could see his protruding belly that he'd been hiding from him his whole pregnancy. "We've been hiding it so that no one would try to take advantage of him," explained Luke. "You can see it for yourself, Roscoe. Look at my stomach!" Bo urged, as another contraction hit and he crumpled back down onto the floor screaming in pain and wrapping his arms around himself. Roscoe just stood there not knowing what to believe. He could see Bo's belly was large and round and he couldn't possibly be faking this level of pain like this. Just when he was about to reach for the keys for Bo's cell, Daisy and Uncle Jesse came barging in. Roscoe, you let my boys go right now!" Jesse bellowed at Roscoe before seeing Bo on the floor. "Uncle Jesse! BO'S IN LABOR! He's been like this for hours! I don't know how much longer he can take this!" Luke informed them. "ROSCOE, HE NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, YOU KNIT WIT! GIVE ME THOSE KEYS!" Jesse ordered as he snatched the keys from Roscoe and opened Bo's cell. "HELP ME GET HIM UP!" Jesse ordered to Daisy and Roscoe, forgetting all about Luke being locked in the next cell over. They grabbed him under his arms and each supported him under their shoulders as they half carried, half dragged Bo out of the cell and up the stairs to Jesse's Pickup truck, and they rushed Bo to the hospital with Roscoe tailing right behind in his patrol car. He wasn't about to miss THIS!

In all the commotion, they forgot that the keys were still in Bo's cell door and all Luke had to do was reach over and grab them. After letting himself out he ran over to Cooter's garage to tell him what was happening and to get a ride to the hospital. They loaded up into Cooter's tow truck as fast as a cat could kill a mouse and sped off for the hospital.

"Y'all I'm REAL glad y'all showed up when ya did! I don't know how much longer I can stand this!" Bo huffed as Jesse drove as fast and as safely as he could. "You just hang in there, Bo! Just breathe, everything's gonna be okay!" Consoled Jesse. Daisy was hanging onto Bo as they rode, making sure her cousin was supported through the pain and bumps on the road.

"Just a little while longer, little one...almost there!" Bo panted to his baby. It seemed like Jesse was hitting every pothole and rut in the road, and with every hit the truck took Bo hurt more and more. "We're almost there..." Bo exhaled and took another breath.

Bo spotted the General Lee up ahead on the side of the road, Jesse and Daisy saw it too but they just drove right past it, no time to stop, he needed to get this baby out of him.

Luke and Cooter weren't too far behind, they spotted the General Lee and decided to stop and check it out. "Now why would they just leave it sittin' right here?" Asked Cooter as he scratched his beard, puzzling. It probably sputtered out on them from that faulty spark plug," Luke guessed. "Looks like they ran off in this direction," Luke said as he quickly followed the tracks which led him to an old shack. While Luke was investigating, Cooter replaced the spark plug and had the General Lee all patched up and ready to go.

Luke knew he had to hurry up because Bo couldn't wait forever for him. But he figured that the surgery would take awhile and he wouldn't be able to see Bo or the new baby for a few hours.

Luke accidentally stepped on a stick while he was cautiously investigating the perimeter of the shack, searching for the two bad guys who'd stolen the General and robbed the bank, and heard it loudly snap under his weight. "Did you hear something?" One of the robbers asked the other. "Yeah, I'll go check it out!" the other replied. "Luke dove into a nearby bush as one of the men made his way outside and around the shack to where Luke was hiding. Luke jumped out of the bush and caught the man off guard which gave him the advantage over him. Luke easily knocked him out and hid his gun. The other guy heard the commotion and ran outside to see what had befallen his partner. When Luke hit him from behind and knocked him unconscious as well, he tied both of them up and dragged them with him back to Cooter and the General. After stuffing them into the trunk of the General Lee they all headed off for the Hospital.

"Alright now, Bo. Everything's going to be fine. We're going to get this baby out of you in just a few moments," the doctor gently spoke, trying to calm Bo. The spinal block had already been administered to him shortly after he'd been admitted, so he wasn't in any labor pain anymore, and he was now being prepped for surgery. "You're going to be awake through this, okay?" The doctor informed. There was a sheet blocking his view of where they were performing surgery on him. He wished he could see what was going on but he would probably pass out from the gory, bloody sight of it. He just closed his eyes and breathed for a few minutes. "It's all going to be alright. Everything's fine, you're fine, the baby is fine... it's fine!" he thought to himself to try and calm down. He was hooked up to so many different machines, he didn't know what was what, or what they were for. He noticed his heart rate on one of the screens, it was really fast, he thought he was going to pass out, but he just kept breathing as they cut into him. He couldn't feel the pain, but he could feel the pressure. He knew when someone was touching him, he could feel when they reached inside of him. He heard wet sounds, like water pouring onto the tarp on the floor, and wondered if that was his blood.. or maybe there was still some water left inside of him, he didn't know. He wished he knew more about the delivery process of a baby, but right now he was content to not know... maybe it would freak him out more to know. The doctors spoke to each other, and he couldn't understand what they were saying over the sound of the blood pounding in his ears.

But everything went quiet as his ears attuned to that first small cry.

Then the sound of his baby's cry was all he could think about, it was the only thing that mattered in that moment. Tears filled his eyes and spilled over the sides of his face, and then a nurse put his baby, his daughter, up to his face where he was able to finally see this beautiful little girl that he'd grown and carried inside of him these last 9 months. She was perfect. "She's so beautiful!" he cried as he kissed his brand new baby girl on the forehead. She was still covered in slime that he assumed were from his guts, but he didn't care. He just wanted to hold his daughter. The nurse took her away from him, as the doctors finished closing him up, and checked her weight and vitals and bathed her. She was a perfectly healthy 7 lbs, 5 oz, 15 inches long baby.

Luke and Cooter arrived at the hospital and by that time Bo had already been taken back for surgery. "Roscoe, if you'd like to follow me out to the parking lot, we've got your real bank robbers in the trunk!" Cooter started, "Ya see, we spotted the General on the way here, abandoned on the side of the road, so ol' Luke here took it upon himself to investigate." "Yeah, so, after following their footprints, I came across this old shack, and here these two were hiding out in it. All the money is with them and have their fingerprints all over it!" Luke added as he threw Cooter the keys to the General so he could escort Roscoe to the car while he stayed in the waiting room to ask Uncle Jesse and Daisy about Bo.

"How's he doin'?" Luke asked as he approached them.

"They just came out and told us that they were just taking him into the operating room." Uncle Jesse answered. Daisy bit her fingernails as she paced the room, worrying.

Roscoe and Cooter came back into the waiting room escorting the two bank robbers and handcuffed them both to chairs. "Now you two SIT HERE and I'd better not hear a PEEP outta you!" Roscoe warned. He had stuck around to make sure that Bo turned out okay, and to make sure that they were really telling the truth about Bo having a baby. As much as the Duke's got under his skin, he cared for them and didn't want to see anything bad come to them. He also grew a conscious and felt bad for leaving Bo down there in his jail cell all that time with no way to get the help he so desperately needed. "Now, don't worry about it, Roscoe, you were just doing your civic duty. I'm sure you didn't mean for this to happen, after all, you had no idea Bo was expecting." Uncle Jesse said to Roscoe when he noticed that he was at war with himself. Roscoe did have a habit of muttering his thoughts out loud. "Well, I just hope everything comes out okay for Bo... no one should be in pain like that, no one!" Roscoe empathized.

"I'm sure ol' Bo's going to be just fine!" Cooter assured them.

After awhile the doctor finally came out to update the family on Bo's status. "Surgery, went great! Bo and baby are both doing fine, and he'll be ready to take visitors in just a little while."

The Duke's and Cooter and Roscoe all hugged each other and Hooray-ed, as the doctor made his way out of the waiting room.

It seemed like hours had passed until Bo was able to hold his baby girl. They wheeled him into a new room and helped him sit up, and placed his daughter in his arms. He couldn't be more in love with this little girl than he was right now in this moment. He was in Heaven and he didn't want to be anywhere but here, basking in these first moments with his little angel. He never knew what his life was missing until just now looking into his daughters little blue eyes, he needed this little girl, and she needed him too. Bo was now a dad!

"Hey there, sweetheart!" Bo smiled as he cried and greeted his daughter. "I'm your daddy! I promise I'm always going to take care of you... and look out for you... I love you SO MUCH!" He whispered as he gently lifted her up and kissed his baby's tiny cheek. "My tiny little baby!"

When the nurses informed them that Bo was ready to see them now, they didn't waste another moment in the waiting room. They all filed into the room, where they saw Bo, propped in a sitting position, smiling and holding his new baby girl in his arms and cooing at the little one. "Oh My Gosh! She's so tiny!" Whispered Daisy, as Bo looked up at his family and friends. "Hey!" He whispered to them, not wanting to disturb the baby with loud voices. "How ya feelin' champ?" Luke asked as he approached Bo's bedside to get a better look at the little one in his arms. "I'm okay... I guess I have the pain meds to thank for that, but honestly I can't even tell I'm on any. I'm so high from all this excitement and happiness right now that I can't even care about any of that." "I'm glad you're doing alright, kiddo!" Whispered Uncle Jesse as he put a hand on Bo's cheek then leaned over to get a better glimpse of the new member of the Duke family. "Boy you are one tough egg to crack!" Exclaimed Cooter. "I don't know how you did it... but you did it! Congrats Bo!" Bo smiled at his friend. "He really did have a baby, there!" muttered Roscoe to Cooter, astonished and in awe of the baby. "What'd'ya' say we give Bo and his family some privacy?" Suggested Cooter as he grabbed Roscoe by the elbow and escorted him out with him and tipped his hat to them as he left.

"What are you gonna name her?" Daisy asked curiously.

Bo sat in silence for a while staring at his perfect little girl thinking about all the happiness that she has brought to him.

"Joy," Bo finally answered, while brushing his finger along his daughter's tiny cheek. "Because of all the joy that she has given to me, and to all of us. She wasn't expected, or planned and no one would have ever guessed that she would be here now to bring so much light into my life... into our lives. But I'm so happy she's here, and that she's mine. My Joy!

"Joy Duke! That has a nice ring to it!" Uncle Jesse exclaimed.

Bo looked at Joy as she stared up into his eyes, and he knew that his life would never be the same. All of the Duke's lives would never be the same. He didn't know how, but she had come along at just the right time and now his world was complete. There wasn't anything he wanted more than family, and that's exactly what he had!