As the Dukes and the Vineyards all strained to see the letter at the same time, each one had his own hopes as to what the contents would reveal.
But none of them expected it to say what it did.
"Can you believe that?" Jesse exclaimed, looking at the letter.
"Well what's it say? What's it say?" Tommy asked in excitement, unable to decipher some of the official jargon that the letter contained.
Luke shook his head. "Well Tommy, in a nutshell it's just a notification that the test results were sent to Doc Appleby's office!"
Daisy shook her head. "I can't believe we've been waiting two days to open that letter and all it does is point us in another direction!"
"Wonder why Doc Appleby didn't call us? We're his friends, it looks like he would have said somethin'." Bo mused.
"Well why don't we all go over there and ask him?" Jesse announced.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Calm down folks I'm gettin' it open as fast as I can." Doc Appleby announced a little while later as he fumbled with the key that unlocked the door of his third story office in one of the old rooms of the Hazzard Hotel. The Dukes waited impatiently behind him as did Thomas, who had carried Tommy up the stairs as no one really trusted the ancient elevator enough to use his wheelchair.
Once the doctor opened the door, he immediately had more assistance than he could handle when several members of the group bent down and began picking up the mass of mail from the floor that had been pushed through the letter slot over the week. The reason he hadn't called, they had discovered, was because he had spent the last week in Atlanta at an annual medical conference, leaving Doc Petticord to care for the folks of Hazzard in his absence. It was just good luck on the side of the Dukes when he happened to return to town at the same time they had went there in search of him.
"Here it is Doc!" Luke exclaimed after flipping through the pile of envelopes he had gathered and finding one that matched the one Jesse had been carrying around. Everyone else who had been sorting mail dropped their stacks on the desk and moved toward the doctor, who now held the envelope in question.
Doc Appleby held up his hands. "Folks……….please." He said with a tired look on his face. Everyone understood that to mean that he had just gotten back from his trip and needed a minute to breathe. In response, they did manage to back away and take or stand behind chairs that were facing his desk, although it was not with patience.
Doc Appleby then sat behind his desk and rubbed his eyes before he put on his reading glasses. He then took the envelope and opened it. But before he took out the contents, he looked at Jesse.
"Jesse, you're an old friend, and I can tell just by looking at you what you'd like this letter to say. But I've also been watching you all these past few weeks….you, Daisy, Thomas, the boys…… It seems as a group you had some issues to work out at first, but since you have, you've all gotten along beautifully. This letter, we don't know what's in it. It could change all that. I just wanna make sure you're really prepared to hear the results, no matter what they are."
As Jesse remained silent in thought, Luke looked at the doctor and answered on his uncle's behalf.
"We're nervous, Doc. But we ain't never been much for maybes."
As the rest nodded in agreement, Doc Applebytook out the letter. As he read through it, Bo put a supportive hand on Jesse's shoulder as Daisy wrapped her arm around Thomas, who was still holding a son who was wide-eyed as he awaited the impending results.
Doc Appleby completed the letter and folded it back up, reinserting it into the envelope. He then got up and walked around his desk until he stood in front of Jesse. "Jesse, you remember how we talked about the way Thomas' toes were fused together? About what an amazing coincidence it would be for two babies to be in the same hospital with the same condition in such a short time span?"
"I remember." Jesse replied as Luke laid a hand on his shoulder as well.
Doc Appleby gave him a slight smile. "Well, it would be an amazing coincidence." He replied looking around the group before he focused on Jesse again. "But I'm afraid in this case, that's exactly what it is."
Jesse blinked a couple of times as he took in the information. "You mean…..Thomas ain't my boy?"
Doc Appleby shook his head. "The results have an error level of less that one percent. I'm so sorry."
"But….but what about that nurse? Shirley? She guaranteed she saw no infant deaths in forty-eight!"
"Well she didn't…..during the time she was there." Doc Appleby replied with a sympathetic look as he glanced at Thomas and noted a hint of tears in his eyes as well. "Look, I didn't want to say anything to you until we got these test results back, but after she had talked with the boys, she approached me again a couple of days later with an apology. It turns out she didn't start working at the hospital until September of that year, and it seems she didn't think things through well enough to consider that all of this could have taken place before she took her job. You have to remember, you were asking her to recall events that are thirty-five years in the past."
Bo pursed his lips. "C'mon now Doc. We've heard Jesse say a hundred times over these past few weeks how much Thomas looks like his brother Rob. Now how can them test results be wrong if that's true?"
"Well I'm not saying he doesn't." Doc Appleby replied, holding up his hands. "But sometimes when we really want something to be true, we can usually find a way to make it true, at least in our own minds. In Jesse's case, maybe he could irk out enough resemblance to validate his wishes. Of course, Jesse, you grew up in a large extended family. You had cousins coming out of the woodwork…..some you never even met. It's all together possible that Thomas could be the son of one of those cousins. It would explain the similarities you saw, could even explain the fused toes. Might be a genetic mutation within the family."
When everyone lowered their heads, Doc Appleby shook his. "Look, I'm sorry. I hate to give out bad news. Believe me, if I had the luxury of picking out who I gave it to, it certainly wouldn't be my friends. The best I can suggest at this point is to tell you to look at little Tommy there." He continued, nodding toward the boy as the family instinctively looked at him. "You all had practically made him a member of the family before the possibility existed that he had Duke blood runnin' through his veins. There's no reason why that has to change."
"Oh believe me, Homer." Jesse finally said. "It won't."
Soon after everyone in the room took turns as they went around and thanked Doc Appleby for his information and empathy. A few minutes later, they were back outside the hotel, placing Tommy back in his wheelchair.
"Hey Tommy." Daisy said. "Chin up, we still have cake to eat, don't we?"
"Why? Ain't got nothin' to celebrate no more."
"Why sure we do." Jesse replied. "It's like the doc said, just because you ain't blood, don't mean ya ain't family."
The statement seemed to reassure Tommy and he managed a smile and reached for Jesse, who bent down to hug him.
"Hey Tommy, how 'bout a ride home in the General?" Bo asked.
"Can we jump the Toccoa River on the way?" Tommy asked, perking up in excitement.
Bo laughed and rubbed his head. "You got it."
"I'll get him settled in." Daisy laughed, steering the wheelchair in the direction of the General.
"I'll help." Thomas offered.
As the trio stepped away Luke put his hand on Jesse shoulder. "Uncle Jesse, I just want to apologize again. I know how much havin' a son meant to you."
"Yeah." Bo added. "It's a shame things didn't work out."
"That it is." Jesse nodded, looking at Bo and Luke. "But not because it left me without a son. Just means instead of three now….I still have my two."
And with that, Jesse offered them a smile, taking them both into a hug. It was returned with enthusiasm.
"Pop?" Thomas asked, coming back over to Jesse. He immediately caught his flub and looked guilty. "Sorry. Don't guess that's proper any more."
Jesse gave him a slight smile. "I suppose your right. But that youngin' of yourn called me Uncle Jesse for a long time before I became grandpa, and I'd be honored if you'd accept me as your Uncle Jesse too."
"I'd be thrilled…..Uncle Jesse." Thomas replied with a big grin. "And I was just wondering, even though I'm not kin anymore, would it be alright if I stayed on working at your place? 'Least till I can find a better job?"
"Not only would it be alright, it's a requirement!" Jesse assured him. "Now that Bo 'nd Luke are goin' to work in Nascar for Benchfield Auto Parts, I'm gonna need all the help I can get."
As Thomas smiled, Luke broke in. "Thomas, your help will be needed around the farm, especially with harvest comin' up, but we ain't leavin' you to handle it by yourself."
"You mean……" Jesse trailed off, looking at his nephews. "You ain't gonna drive for Benchfield?"
"That's right, Uncle Jesse." Bo nodded.
"But….your dreams……all that money…."
Bo put an arm around Jesse. "A wise old man….." He paused, laughing at the expression on Jesse's face when he realized he was talking about him. "…..once told me that you have to leave home to really realize whether or not you want to stay. What he didn't point out was that sometimes, just knowin' you have the opportunity to leave home is good enough to help you make that decision."
"Well." Jesse said, perking up. "Things didn't turn out well upstairs, but it still looks like you three boys are gonna hang around. That's not too bad, huh?"
"Sure isn't." Luke replied. "Today could have turned out a whole lot worse."
Just then a motorcycle drove up, containing a short lady covered in a knitted shawl. Miz Tizdale removed her helmet and looked at Jesse.
"Hey there Jesse." She smiled. "You about to be on your way home?"
"Uh…." Jesse trailed off, suddenly looking nervous. "Yeah."
"Good. Then I'll be over at your place waiting on you." She sighed dreamily, putting the helmet back on. "I was serious when I warned your boys about the measures I take to retrieve overdue library books." She added before she kicked the motorcycle back to life and steered in the direction of the farm.
"Library books?" Jesse muttered in confusion and dread. "What in the world kind of excuse is that to hafta put up with Emma Tizdale this evenin'?"
"Uh, Luke? You remember what you just said about how this day coulda turned out a lot worse?" Bo asked, looking nervously at Jesse.
"Yeah?" Luke replied in a questioning matter.
"For us, I think it's about to."
And that, folks, is how it all unfolded for Thomas Vineyard when he suspected he might be a genuine Duke.
Things got pretty normal around the farm again as everybody went back to doin' what they normally did. Daisy continued at the Boar's Nest, Tommy continued at the camp, and the boys and Jesse continued working at the farm…..with no complaint on the extra pair of hands to help out.
As for Thomas and Tommy, their Pop and Grandpa went back to bein' plain on Uncle Jesse again, but that's not so bad. 'Cause you see, there's two kinda uncles in this world. There's the kind that earn the title by havin' the right position in the family, then there's the other kind who earn it through love, understandin', and general carin' about people. And folks, ole Jesse' earned the title both ways. And I think if you really look at him, you'll see that even in the case of his own kids, it's the love, understandin' and carin' that earns his title best. Ya know, I kinda like that.
THE END