A/N: What do you
say? I haven't updated this one in uhm, a long while? Yur right! And
I am very, very sorry! But in hot and relaxed Curacao, I have finally
found me a muze to help me write this chapter. So with my apologies
about the lateness of this chapter, also comes the promise of
finishing this story, soon!
Thanks to everyone who is still
sticking with this story, I promise y'all, you won't be
dissapointed!
Enjoy!
11
Folks, if ya hadn't noticed it, them Dukeboys are in deep trouble... After a low life crook shot up the General, an' Hardware Harry entered the story, it's been goin downhill... So now, good ole Bo is lyin in a hospital bed with an extra hole in his body, an' his cousin's been captured, again, for a murder y'all know he never committed. Friends an' neighbours, y'all know I ain't one to be negative, but I'm holdin on to my hat, cause it's probably gonna get worse before it 'll git better...
"Suspect apprehended on Old Ridge Road, need assistance to meet me at Tri-County. Suspect is wounded."
The message was short, but it had Jesse and Cooter stiffening in their seats. The truck came to a sudden halt, as Jesse turned it expertly so they were making their way back to the hospital.
And they weren't the only ones…
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Everything in the halls of the hospital was calm and silent. Well, that is, until the entire Duke clan, followed by the Hazzard and Atlanta police force barged in.
Nurse Rhonda watched with growing interest how the handsome dark-haired man was pushed forward. The handcuffs he was wearing seemed to cut into his wrists, as blood was slowly seeping down his arm. His other arm was being held tightly by a taller man with blackish hair and a permanent scowl on his otherwise probably handsome face.
Following them were two people who looked like they came straight of the fields. A man with a white beard and red cap, some sort of mechanic with grease all over him walked in as a pretty girl with curly chestnut hair met them there, embracing the older man as tears fell down her pretty face.
Lastly, two cops Rhonda knew very well walked in, both their faces sombre looking. Enos spotted her and gave her a small smile and wave, which she returned, before falling into action.
"Excuse me!" she barked at the lawman who was holding one of the Duke-boys she had once met in the Boarsnest, a couple of years ago.
The man stopped at the tone of her voice, turning to look at her, as Luke Duke stumbled to a halt too.
"This man needs treatment, he's hurt,"
"Look lady-," Agent Pierce started, only to be cut off by Rhonda again.
"Don't ya lady me, it's nurse Rhonda, and this man is bleeding. So I suggest you take those cuffs off of him, so we can treat him," she commanded, her hands placed firmly in her sides, hoping she came over threatening enough.
Agent Pierce sighed, noticing he was in for a fight.
"I don't know what hick town you came from, but this man is a fugitive, and if I un-cuff him he will take off the first chance he gets."
Rhonda looked at Luke's unfocused eyes and pale complexion. A slight shake of the head confirmed to her he was no risk at all.
"Look at him, he's barely standing straight as it is. I can promise ya, this man is in no state to be running from anyone," she paused for emphasis, noticing Jesse standing close, ready to help her if necessary, "so please, un-cuff him, now…"
Pierce looked at the man who had been such a pain in his ass for the past couple of days, and seeing the pale skin, sweat drops and bloodied arm, he made a decision.
"Fine, but he will be guarded every minute of his treatment," he murmured, taking out the key to the handcuffs, and taking them off of Luke's wrists.
With the circulation back in his wounded arm, Luke Duke also experienced an excruciating pain, causing him to moan out loud.
This alerted Rhonda to guide him to a gurney in the ER, calling for a doctor to help her take care of one of the nicest men she had ever met. A man she could never suspect of killing any other being, criminal or not…
So, that was why, five minutes later, Jesse Duke, Daisy, Enos and Agent Pierce were all standing or sitting in the waiting room. Cooter had gotten a ride from Roscoe, who had complained about there being no good lawmen to protect the town, so he would sacrifice himself to go back to town, where the only hassle was the town gossip about Hardware Harry and the Dukeboys.
Jesse, Daisy were sitting in a couple of loungechairs, while agent Pierce was being occupied by Enos, who in his brutal honesty, was questioning the poor agent for all he was worth. As Daisy looked over to where Enos was telling Agent Pierce about the crimes Bullet Benny had committed in Hazzard, she slowly bent over towards her uncle.
"Uncle Jesse?" She whispered so that no one would overhear.
Jesse had already noticed her tense posture ever since they had met up in the ER, and ever since she had told him Bo had been awake and coherent. He bent towards her and put a hand on her knee as to tell her to continue.
"When Bo was awake... He ehm, he told me he killed Bullet Benny..." Daisy spoke so fast Jesse had to let it sink in for a minute to understand it.
His eyes widened a bit, but not much. Somewhere deep down, he already knew this. Luke would not have reacted like he did if there wasn´t more. So now he knew what that was... His youngest, who would never hurt a fly in his life, had, obviously unintentionally, killed another human being in self-defence...
As he looked at Daisy´s worried eyes, his mind was working overtime to figure out what to do. If they told Pierce that it was actually Bo who did it, they could arrest his youngest nephew, seeing as there had been no witnesses to what happened. If they didn´t say anything, Luke would end up in jail for sure, or worse...
"What are we gonna do uncle Jesse?" Daisy asked, clearly distraught about the last days events, "If they arrest Bo, he ain´t gonna survive it... But if Luke gets judge Noose..." Her beautiful eyes looked down as Jesse patted her leg softly and put his hand on her chin so that she would look up.
"For now, we wait. Only until Bo wakes up properly an' he can tell us the entire story. Listen ta me Daisygirl, everythin' s gonna be awright..." he ended, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, silently praying for both his nephews...
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Sleep claimed him, but only superficially. Underneath the blanket of grey, images of a gun, blood and stale grey eyes followed him. Branches slammed in his face and against his arms as he feels like he is running through the darkness of the woods. Yet, his legs aren´t carrying him... He is floating, upwards, higher and higher...
A bright light made him squint as he slowly opened his eyes, only to notice that he was lying in a hospital-bed, with one arm chained to the bed rail...
"Huh…" was the only word that escaped his parched mouth. He blinked as his head was slowly lifted and a straw was gently placed into his mouth. The soft hands and the chestnut brown hair calmed him, cause he knew his family was here now.
That calmness was roughly shaken, when his uncle's voice came from somewhere besides him, calmly asking him for an explanation…
"Now you gonna tell us what happened son, or am I gonna have ta pull it out of ya?" the old man demanded.
Jesse knew he had to get
Luke to talk now, when he was still drowsy enough to keep his walls
down, and even though he wanted to hug the boy, he knew he had to be
tough now.
And he was right, cause tears filled Luke´s eyes
almost immediately.
"I'm sorry uncle Jesse…" he whispered, turning a little in the bed, causing the chain on his good arm to rattle in the silent room.
"I just wanted ta protect im, I never meant for this ta happen… But he was hurt, an' I didn't know what else ta do… It wasn't his fault… So I took the blame…" he swallowed, blocking the tears that threatened to fall. He was just so tired of it all…
The hand of his uncle on his good shoulder calmed him, and soon he gave in to the sleep that he craved so much after these days filled with fear and pain.
"It's alright Lukas, it's alright, you jus sleep now…" Jesse whispered, as he noticed Luke's eyes closing the second he said it. Turning towards Daisy, he saw the tears in her eyes, tears for her cousins, who had been through a lot these past few days. Standing slowly, the two Dukes came to the same decision.
"We gotta tell agent Pierce…"
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After an hour of talking to one of the most stubborn people he had met in his life, Jesse Duke felt exhausted. Agent Pierce seemed like a pit-bull who had grabbed hold of Luke's leg and was determined to hold on.
But after an hour of explaining to him how they believed that Bo shot Benny in self defence, they had somehow planted the seed of doubt in agent Pierce's mind, and eventually he promised to unchain Luke from the bed. While the guard was to stay at his door, agent Pierce would question Bo.
There was only one problem in this scenario, Bo was still asleep, and his doctor luckily held Pierce back from entering the door.
So now, two Duke-boys were peacefully sleeping in separate hospital rooms. At least, that's what everyone thought.
While Daisy and Jesse had gone home for an hour to change and do some chores, one Duke-boy had woken up, and miraculously made his way out of his bed and into the deserted hallway. His mind to where he was going, was made up, and nothing was stopping him from reaching his goal...
In another room, one Duke-boy was still asleep. The monitors around him beeped slowly as his door opened. The shadow slowly made his way into the room, the grey eyes piercing the air until they found its target. A sneer came from the thin stripe posing as a mouth, as he looked at the person responsible for his son's death.
His chest moved up and down slowly as the intruder walked closer and closer towards the hospital bed.
The silver handgun was raised ever so slowly, an unwavering and scarred hand pointing it at the boy's head.
"This is for murdering my son," the man whispered coldly.
A loud bang was the only sound that filled the empty hospital hallway, and after the deafening silence that followed, all hell broke loose...
