A/N Yet another chapter... It's a little longer this time, cause we're almost at the end now, and because ya had to wait so long for this one... Probably one more chapter after this, and we can say, finis! Hope y'all like it, enjoy!

12

Enos Strate had heard from Luke's visit to Boss and Roscoe. Seeing as his shift was over, he decided to help Luke in the search for the thug who was responsible for putting Luke and Daisy in the hospital. Enos felt a little bit guilty that he wasn't there when it had happened. Maybe he could have done something, at least try to save Daisy…

Heaving a deep sigh, he shut off his siren and got out of the patrol car, just as screams could be heard from the abandoned house.

With wide eyes, Enos froze, hearing nothing but silence, until after a minute or so, the wooden door slowly opened.

A dark-haired figure came stumbling out, looking around as if he was expecting someone to jump him then and there.
Squinting a little, Enos noticed the man sway a little, and he also realized, this was not Luke…

"Possum on a gumbush!" He exclaimed to himself, "That's Macky!"

And as it all dawned on Enos, he drew his gun and hurried over to the dangerous man, who was now swaying around on the dusty ground.

As Enos came closer, he noticed something sticking out of the man's shoulder. Reaching him, he saw what it was… An arrow…

Glaring Macky in the eye, he slowly cuffed him, glancing towards the opened door every once in a while, expecting Luke to come out every minute now.

"Ya looking for that little plowboy who came ta get me? Well stop looking, cause he ain't comin out," Macky slurred, laughing at his own little joke. The laughter changed into a yelp of pain as Enos put the cuffs just a little tighter.

Walking the criminal to his patrol car, Enos cuffed him to the door, so the man had nowhere to go. Giving the man the toughest glare he had ever given anyone, Enos turned to search the house.

Friends an' neighbours, ya just witnessed a historic moment in Hazzard history… Enos Strate, the soft an' gullible deputy is mad, really mad… And that ain't good. I sure hope Luke is awright, cause I ain't sure what 'll happen to that Macky fella when he isn't…

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Cracks…

When Luke wearily opened his eyes, all he saw were blurred cracks, scarring the weathered ceiling. One special crack seemed to trigger a hidden memory in his fuzzy head…

His momma, grabbing the old broomstick to kill the huge spider keeping residence on the ceiling. The sound of the broom hitting the ceiling with so much force, the spider came down, wìth a part of the ceiling…

And just as fast as the memory came, it disappeared again, leaving behind a splitting headache.

Blinking a few times, Luke tried to clear his mind, and his vision, which only worked partially. It only made his aching body ache more, reminding Luke of the reason he was lying in his old room, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

Suddenly an even worse pain started to spread from his shoulder through his torso. Lifting his head a little to look at the flaming area, he immediately felt queasy at the sight that met him; the poker, which had previously been in Macky's hand, was now protruding from Luke's right shoulder, blood oozing around it.

Laying his head back down on the ground, Luke softly encouraged himself to get up.

"Alright… I can do this, jus' bit by bit, slowly…"

Lifting his head, and the rest of his body, caused a great deal of pain, but finally, after what seemed like hours, he was sitting on his knees, holding the poker in its place with his left hand.

Standing up proved to be even more difficult, as the room started swaying and turning, colors dancing around him.

Somehow, someway, he made it to the opened door. Not noticing his surroundings, he just followed the light, stumbling forward, he followed it into the arms of someone waiting there for him. And he knew, he could let go now.

Stumbling to his knees, he gave up the battle to stay conscious and let the darkness swallow him, following the sweet tone which was beckoning him, taking away the pain consuming his body and mind.

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Enos had been about to enter the house, when a movement from the inside drew his attention and he stepped closer.

A second later the battered form of Luke Duke came stumbling out of the house. Blood and bruises covered his face, but the poker sticking from his shoulder immediately caught Enos' attention.

"Oh boy…" was the only thing he could utter, before Luke fell down on his knees, using up his last ounce of strength. Glancing up wearily, Luke's blue eyes, both turning a deep shade of blue and purple, got a clear moment before rolling back and closing.

Catching Luke's upper body, Enos slowly put his friend down, knowing he had to get the poker out first.

Taking a firm hold of the slippery thing, he braced himself, praying he wouldn't cause the unconscious man any more pain.

"I'm real sorry Luke, but I gotta do this…"

Ignoring the hateful remarks coming from the thug sitting next to the patrol car, he slowly pulled the poker out, amazed at the length of the part coming from Luke's shoulder.

Finally the sharp tip came out and Enos hurriedly threw away the hated object, to cover the bleeding hole in Luke's shoulder with his hand.

"I'd better get ya to the hospital buddy…" where his final words, as he slowly dragged Luke into his car, also taking Macky who had finally quieted down, but whose sneaky eyes followed every move the deputy made.

Turning on the sirens, the patrol car skidded away from the old house, leaving the memories there to be buried as the large wooden door slowly drifted shut…

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The Hospital

Back at the hospital Jesse was pacing, alone. Daisy had fallen asleep after he visited her just a few minutes before. He hadn't told her about Luke going AWOL, cause he knew how happy she had been when she had seen Luke at her bedside. So he had soothed her, and she had fallen asleep again, while Jesse gave a prayer of thanks, that at least one of his children was alright…

Bo had been in surgery for a few hours now, and Jesse was plumb scared. What if something went wrong? What if…

Scolding himself for thinking like that he mad his way to the hospital chapel, kneeling down in one of the front pews, he silently prayed for his family.

The thump of the door opening got him looking up, irritated at the person that disturbed him during his talk with the boss upstairs.

When he saw Enos standing there, blood covering part of his uniform, he immediately got up on cracking knees. With eyes wide in confusion, Jesse walked over to Enos, who was holding his hat against his chest, looking mighty worried.

"Enos? What are ya doin' here? Somethin happened ta my boy didn't it… I knew it, I never shoulda let him go alone…"

Jesse trailed off as he saw Enos was about to open his mouth to explain himself.

"Ehh, uncle Jesse, I jus' brought Luke and that Macky fella to the hospital. Seems like they's got into a fight at his hide-out place on Jessup road…" Enos trailed off this time.

"Well… go on Enos. How's my boy? He won, right?" Jesse tried to lighten the mood.

"It was at Luke's old house, and… well both him an' Macky are pretty banged up. Luke kinda shot Macky with his old bow and arrow,"

Jesse grinned at that, even though he was against unnecessary violence, he knew Luke would never intent to do something like that on purpose. But in self-defense… Jesse shook his head, Enos wasn't done yet.

"Apparently Macky kinda stabbed Luke with a poker…"

Jesse almost asked Enos to say that again, cause he was sure he had heard him wrong.

"A… a poker?"

Nodding solemnly, Enos stammered on.

"When I cuffed Macky, Luke came stumbling out of the house, and I pulled it out, but now he's in the Emergency Room, an' I don't know if he's awright, but Macky's under arrest, an' things are gonna be…"

By then Enos had to pause to take a much needed breath, as Jesse finished his sentence for him.

"I got all my youngins back, an' things are gonna be awright…" he ended, walking out of the chapel towards the floor his family was on…

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The brightness was blinding him, yet it was soothingly warm. Somehow he wished he could stay here forever, but he knew that wasn't possible. The pain he felt, someplace far away, was still real, and he had to return there soon…

"Lukas…"

That voice! It was so familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Turning around in the white void, he saw nothing. Just the feeling of being loved. It was so strong, it took away the rough edges of the pain beckoning to him.

"You've grown…"

Turning again, Luke finally noticed a shimmer of a person coming towards him. But by now, he didn't need to see who was talking to him, he already knew.

"Mom?"

It came out broken, the word foreign on his tongue, yet sounding so right.

The blurry figure became sharper, forming the loving face of his mother. The same face he had known as a toddler. Even the voice was the same, the same one which had soothed him when he had nightmares, the voice which had begged his father to forgive her…

A hand softly cradling his face made him shiver slightly.

"You're hurt…"

"It's nothing…" came his short reply.

Looking into his mothers eyes, Luke's mind started working again.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked the ghostly apparition.

"In a way… It's a way for me to let you know I'll always be here for you son," she said, emotion filling her melodious voice.

A thought came to Luke's blurry mind.

"In the house… When Macky tried to… It was you?" he asked, hope clearly evident in his voice.

"I'm always looking out for you baby," she answered lovingly, only to add as an afterthought, "It's a fulltime job ya know…"

Luke smiled a little, leaning into the soft hand caressing his heated skin.

"I miss you momma…"

Another hand found its way into his dark curls, as if to take the pain away, while the apparition spoke again.

"I know… And I miss you too. We both do…"

Shock found its way to Luke's blue eyes as he pondered what his mother just said.

"Are you happy here?" he asked, needing to know that one thing, before the other voices would lure him back to reality. He could feel their pull on him.

"Yes, we are… We're together, and that's what matters. I only wish you could have been spared. I'm sorry son…" she whispered, eyes giving away the shame she was feeling over leaving her son like that.

"Don't be…" Luke answered immediately, "I've got a great family, with people who love me, an' uncle Jesse took great care of me since I came ta live with him…"

He paused for a moment, pondering his words.

"I jus' wish… I wished I could have known you better. I'll always miss ya… Both of ya," he ended, tightly hugging the small form of his mother.

"I know, son, I know…" she whispered, before kissing his forehead and stepping back.

"But ya have ta go now, yur family needs you," she said, pointing to something behind him.

And as Luke turned around to see what she meant, he heard her say goodbye, and felt how she slowly floated away from him.

"Goodbye momma," he whispered, looking back one more time, before walking towards the voices begging him to come back…

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