Author's Note: A normal day in Hazzard is when the Duke boys get run into the pond. Not so much normal when one Duke boys get run into the pond, and can't get out of there.

Big thanks to JordynD for beta work and Gray Wolf for all the help.

Warning: The warning is placed here for Vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

The Days After The Night Before

Chapter 6: Sounding Like George Jones

Luke immediately headed over to help him with them and came in time to hear him mutter about how the lawn needed a moving; but that he didn't care, as well as how it had been a good year for the roses. It was the second time they had heard him mumble a George Jones song lyric, and it was really making Luke wondering what was going on there. He didn't doubt that Bo could sing most of those songs, but he had never heard him just blurt out the lyrics before.

As he knelt and pushed the blanket slowly to the side Bo seemed to come fully awake, blinking a few times as he looked at Luke. He could have asked if it had been a bad dream, but he already knew that it was, he could see it in Bo's eyes. Not to mention the way he shuddered and wrapped his arms around his chest. Not the way he would if he was cold though, he had a worried look on his face.

"Ready for some more of that soup?" Luke asked softly and smiled as Bo nodded.

"I'll get it." Cooter got up and refilled the bowl at the stove. This time once Luke had helped him to sit up a bit Bo took the bowl himself to eat. He was starting to feel better like Jesse had said he would. In fact, he didn't feel like he needed all the blankets anymore, but he didn't want to go back to sleep again. Every time he did that he found himself back in the General stuck in the water. It always seemed to take a moment or two before he knew that everything was okay.

He finished it and passed the bowl back to Cooter with a grateful smile. Then he tried to sort out the blankets.

"Starting to get warmer?" Luke asked.

Bo smiled at him, Luke always was the perceptive one. He always knew what was going on, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't think I need that many anymore."

"Okay." Luke smiled back at his cousin and removed all but two blankets. Folding the others neatly and putting them close at hand.

"Can we finish the game now?" Bo asked nodding towards the checker board.

"Sure." Luke brought it closer again while Cooter went to the kitchen to get his and Luke's unfinished milk glasses, and of course the cookies as well.

Bo grinned as he saw Cooter with two half filled milk glasses, a cookie jar and a guilty grin. The cookies looked really nice though, if he could get a refill of his tea, because when he touched the mug it was ice cold. "Would ya mind?" He asked Cooter.

"Since I ain't playing, might as well be the errand boy." Cooter grinned happily as he went the second round to the kitchen.

"Thanks Cooter." Bo shifted so he could reach the board more easily as he drank the tea. Cooter handed him one of the cookies since they were mostly out of his reach. It was one time when Bo actually was quite satisfied with one. He was able to focus more on the game now though, and he was quite content at the moment.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was still feeling quite chilly, and the odd feeling in his leg that was something between numbness and a dull ache he'd just feel slightly tiered and not know anything bad had happened. Thinking about it however made him shudder.

Luke gave him a worried look as his body trembled and he hunched down slightly, but he allowed it to pass without really saying anything about it. Instead he looked up as Jesse came in through the door.

"Well, I got the animals all taken cared of." He said as he entered the livening room. He noticed that there was less blankets covering the boy and hoped it was because he was doing better. "How are ya feeling Bo?"

"I'm okay, getting better." Bo looked up at him with a small smile.

"Ya starting to look a might bit better at that." Jesse smiled as he walked over and touched the back of his hand to his forehead. "Ya's a bit hot there, but I don't reckon it's to bad." He looked at the board. "Who's winning," he asked mostly to keep him focused on the more merrier things. One look on the board and on Luke's slightly ruefully expression told him who was winning.

"Luke is." Bo looked up at him and at least his eyes were clear and so did his head seem to be.

"Well, ya just wait now, that boy there is gonna get cocky, an then ya can whoop his tail." Jesse grinned at him, winking at Luke. Knowing that he wanted to let Bo win this one if he could.

"It don' matter Uncle Jesse, I don't mind losing today, an' I don' want Luke ta throw the game." Bo gave him a thoughtful look, as if he was pretty sure that was what Jesse was suggesting.

"Now, I never said anything about him throwing the game, did I." Jesse replied not even missing a beat as he smoothed down his hair away from his forehead.

Bo nodded slowly. "When's Daisy coming back?" He asked, it was going to be hard to explain everything to her.

"Ya want me ta call the Boars Nest and see if maybe she can get off early?" Jesse asked, thinking that maybe he wanted to have her close for comfort as well.

Bo shook his head slowly. "No, s'just gonna be hard ta explain."

"Don't worry about that, we'll explain ta her." Luke smiled softly. "She'll understand."

"She's gonna be upset." Bo stated quietly. It was more wearying than he would have thought to talk.

"She'll understand." Jesse suddenly had a feeling that he wanted to catch Daisy before she entered the house and explain things to her. Bo was right, she was going to be mighty upset, and if she reacted strongly he didn't want her to start making Bo distressed or agitated. Well, he would hear Dixie and he could easily step outside and explain it to her. She wouldn't know that Bo hadn't gotten back home in the night, neither of them had. He never bothered to stay up and wait for the boys when they were out on a date. It would be like telling them he didn't trust them.

If they failed to keep a proper conduct about it he would let them know. If Bo got home so late he was to tiered to wok Jesse wouldn't let him get away with it, they both knew that. Daisy was allowed to sleep in when she worked the nightshifts, the boys were when they had been working late.

So the fact that Bo wasn't home when he went to bed hadn't been any cause of concern. Daisy should be home any minute now thought he was thinking as he glanced at the clock.

Bo was making a new draw, not the best one he could have made, he was just trying to match Luke at the time but he looked up as he heard the engine. Jesse smiled at him as he went out through the kitchen door.

"He's gonna tell her?" He asked Luke, sipping on another refill of his tea. He had been drinking a lot of tea, but it was warming and if felt quite good.

"I reckon he's gonna explain." Luke nodded, he had been thinking the same thing and Cooter nodded in agreement.

It wasn't many minutes before Daisy was running inside, as soon as Jesse had told her that Bo had gotten hurt she was running inside. He had hoped to tell her how outside so Bo wouldn't be forced to listen to a retell of it. It seemed to him that was likely to upset him and he didn't want that.

"I'm okay." Bo said braving a smile as he happily accepted a hug from her.

"What happened Sugar." Daisy asked, perching on the edge of the sofa and brushing back his hair tenderly.

"Some guy ran me off the road and into the pond." Bo mumbled.

"Who?" Daisy frowned. "Who'd do such a thing."

"I dunno, I never saw." He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it again and drained his cup. "Could I have some more tea?" He asked to distract her, hopefully.

"I'll get it for ya buddyro." Cooter grinned as he stood and took his mug. Bo had been hoping Daisy would go for it.

"You didn't see?" Daisy frowned.

"I don't really wanna talk about it." Bo mumbled slowly.

"But when did it happen? Why didn't ya call us on the CB?" She smoothed his hair back again.

"CB got wet an' didn't work, Daisy please, I really don't wanna talk about it anymore." Bo gave Luke a pleading look.

Luke gave him a small nod to show that he understood. "Daisy, that can wait, its better for him ta rest now. Rosco came by to write a report, and I don't think he needs to be thinking about it right now."

Daisy nodded as she had to admit that what Luke was saying made sense. "Okay sugar, you just rest now. I can cook ya up something really nice for supper."

"I'm not really very hungry." He said giving him an apologetic look, however there was something else and he started pushing at the blankets again. Trying to get them off his legs and noting how Cooter frowned at him where he came back with a steaming mug. He had been drinking a lot of tea, and he was starting to realize that.

Luke gave him a small smile and helped him to the bathroom. He was feeling a bit to unsteady on his feet for crutches right now, and Luke was a far better help. He trusted Luke not to let him fall, and he was pretty sure that if he used the crutches he would be falling on his face.

Even if he was starting to realize that it had just been a distraction Cooter put the mug down on the coffee table. Just in case Bo actually did want it. He gave them a concerned look as they came back, Bo shivering slightly again as Luke helped him to lie down again and covered him up with the blankets. Getting one of the ones he had folded up earlier to cover him up with temporarily since he was slightly chilled now.

"Well, I'll just make you something nice, and then you can eat what you want." Daisy smiled at him. Deciding that it would be a good idea to get more information from their uncle. She could understand that Bo wasn't in the mood to talk about it, but she also wanted to know exactly what had happened. Especially since the two boys usually took any crash in strides. They would be coming back with Cooter, or a few times walking, and it never seemed to bother them the slightest. She'd even been on her way from work a few times, only to see the General upside down at the side of the road.

Out in the kitchen Jesse explained to her in hushed terms exactly what had happened and how Bo had come to be trapped. Hearing that Daisy had to restrain herself not to run into the other room and throw herself around his neck. She wanted so badly too, but she reckoned it wouldn't be a too good idea as she glanced into the family room.

Once more he had sneaked out an arm to reach the board, but this time he was playing against Cooter. Luke had traded place with him after he won, thinking that Bo would do better against the mechanic. Bo knew what they were thinking, he wasn't that confused, but he didn't mind too much. In fact, playing with Cooter served as a better distraction, because Cooter knew how to work as a distraction. Trying to make Bo look away from the board so he could change the position of the markers. It wasn't to actively cheat, it was to make the game more interesting. To Cooter it was a joke. Seeing if he could get away with it.

Bo shook his head as one distraction failed. "Cooter, ain't no way I'm gonna believe ya saw a pink elephant in the kitchen.

"Well, maybe after a few glasses of Uncle Jesse's finest." Luke admitted. "But never while sober, seriously Cooter, how would it fit through the door?"

"I dunno." Cooter shrugged. "I just thought it might be odd enough to make y'all look."

"No Cooter, not quite." Luke shook his head while Bo shrugged. Cooter was amusing at the very least.

"What would make y'all look away then?" Cooter asked thoughtfully.

"Maybe that goat there trying to get in through the kitchen door." Luke frowned as he looked.

"What?" Cooter turned around to look while Bo quickly changed the position of two markers. It was all he was able to do at the moment before Cooter turned back and gave Luke a thoughtful look.

"I didn't see nothing." He sated as he looked at Luke.

"Uncle Jesse must've shooed 'im away." Luke shrugged winking at Bo.

Bo nodded slowly. "He keeps saying he don't want them in the house."

"Why do I get a feeling the two of ya were trying something?" Cooter frowned as he looked at the board.

"Now Cooter, would we do that?" Luke asked draping an arm around his shoulders and once more winking at Bo.

"Yeah," Cooter nodded. "You would, and not think twice about it either."

"Neither would you." Bo pointed out, shifting a little and hoping that no one noticed the twinge that ran up his leg.

"You have a point there buddyro." Cooter admitted as he studied the board, trying to figure out his next move.

"While I am sure that ya might see pink elephants in the kitchen after a little too much of Uncle Jesse's finest, and equally sure he'd shoe the goat right back out, I'm also dang sure I'd rather see those dudes get caught…"