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 Vinsmouse 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…. Kerry-Marie however is mine.
Chapter 11: We can fix him….
"It ain't really anything." Luke shrugged, feeling not a small bit guilty for upsetting his cousin, not to mention that it always felt bad to be under their uncle's gaze. "It's just that the body didn't look too good, and it won't do Bo any good at all ta know that. And with the hospital bill ta pay, we ain't gonna be able to afford to fix everything needing fixing anytime soon, an' he don't need ta worry about that when he ain't well."
"An' worrying about what it is y'all ain't telling him is gonna do 'im so much better ya think?" Jesse asked. "I thought ya knew ya cousin better than that Luke. He'd wanna know what happened, an' y'all ain't telling him nothing, an' he knows ya ain't."
"It looks really bad, it ain't as bad as it looks, but it looks bad." Cooter stated slowly. "We's worried that knowing that would make him wonder how's he was able ta get through it."
"I think that Bo would be able to handle that." Jesse said softly as he cleared his youngest nephew's plate off the table. "I also think that even if he can't, it's up to him if he wants ta know about it."
"But what if it starts making him feel depressed or something?" Luke wondered. "Ya know how sensitive he can be at times. I ain't sure that it's a good idea ta let him know about it. Might just make everything worse."
"I'm pretty sure that ya's making it worse right now." Jesse told them. "An I don't wanna hear about the two of ya not being honest wi' him, even if ya think ya's protecting him. Ya's gotta leave that choice ta Bo."
"Yes sir." Luke gave in. "Want me ta go an' talk wi' him?"
"Might not be a bad idea." Jesse nodded. "See if he feels like finishing that ice cream will ya, reckon it might be good fer his throat."
"Okay." Luke took the plate from the counter where Jesse had put it and headed for the boys room. "Hey Bo, wanna finish yer ice cream." He asked as he saw Bo stretched out on his bed.
"I ain't hungry." Bo mumbled.
"Bo, come on." Luke sighed. "I'm sorry fer that out there, but ya see, we just wanted ta give ya a bit o' time."
"How bad did the General get messed up?" Bo demanded and Luke could see Jesse was right. He wasn't sure Bo could really handle knowing, but it wouldn't do him any good if he wasn't even told about it.
"Pretty bad," he admitted as he handed Bo the plate. At least he was eating of the ice cream as he sat up. Giving Luke a suspicious look, and yes Jesse had been right. If they hadn't told him, Bo might have wound up not trusting him. "We can fix it, but it's gonna be more'n a few hours work, and we ain't gonna be able to afford getting him ta prime anytime soon." He sat down beside Bo and noted how he shifted to allow for his leg even while scooting closer. It seemed he still wanted to seek out a bit of comfort so Luke put a hand on his back.
"Cooter an' me got an old 69 Charger we's breaking up for parts, an' it's gonna take care o' most of it. We can have him running and painted in two weeks just about, but I ain't sure we'll be able to have him back to his old self while we still have all the bills to pay." That was about as honest as he could make it.
"Why wouldn't ya tell me?" Bo asked thoughtfully as he put another spoon of the ice cream inside his mouth.
"We's afraid that it'd wear on ya knowing how bad it looked." Luke admitted. "Bo, we's both been seeing that car and wondering how's we were able to get away from that kind of wreck without a scratch, an' it can wear on ya."
"Specially since it was more'n a scratch, huh?" Bo asked.
"Yeah." Luke nodded slowly. "I was just so worried about ya."
"It was the worst wreck I've ever been in," Bo stated softly. "An I ain't so sure tearing down the road's gonna be the first thing I'll be doing when they's finally take that dang thing of my leg." He grinned at Luke. "So the General and I 's gonna be a bit slow at first. That's not so bad is it? Give the rest o' ya a chance to catch up." He grinned as he scraped up the last of the ice cream and licked off the spoon. "Do ya suppose we'd be able ta talk Uncle Jesse into giving me more 'o this?" He grinned.
"I'll do my best for ya." Luke promised as he took the plate. He really should have known Jesse was always right.
"What did he say?" Jesse asked as he came back out into the kitchen.
"Well, I told him about the General." Luke told them.
"And?" Cooter asked worriedly.
"He wants to know if he can have more ice cream?" Luke grinned at their uncle.
"He can have it all fer all I care." Jesse grinned. "Long as I got the lad back, I couldn't be caring less if he cleans it all out. We can git more in town."
"Want me to tell him that?" Luke asked jokingly as he scooped up some more on Bo's plate. Not more than he thought he would be able to finish off.
Jesse shook his head with a big grin. "Nah, I don't think ya'll have ta. I know that boy half as well as I think, it ain't gonna take him long ta figure it out on his own."
"I could bring ya some more next time I drop by." Cooter offered. Eager to make up for his part of the failure to fully trust Bo. He should have known that Bo wouldn't freak out completely on them, but they were in new territory here.
"Don't worry about it Cooter." Jesse told him, he had allowed the mechanic to help out as much as he wanted, but there were limits for what he would agree to. Cooter running errands to the store for them was something that he was not going to agree to. "I need ta be doing some shopping anyways, an' we's got enough ta last us till then."
Luke chuckled as he brought the ice cream back to Bo. "Here ya go Bo." He grinned as he handed Bo the plate.
"Thanks." Bo grinned as he took it, "feels really good, my throat's sore."
"Yeah, well ya eat that ice cream then and ya'll be feeling a lot better." Luke smiled even as he noticed how Bo started to look more tired. Well, he wasn't really surprised, the boy needed a lot of rest before he was fully recovered. "Are ya gonna finish it, or are ya gonna fall asleep with ya face in ya bowl."
"Finish it, then fall asleep." Bo looked at him smiling sleepily. He blinked and looked at Luke, "ya know, I didn't know I 's this tired."
"Well, don't worry about it, ya know how it is when ya's been sick Bo. Just give it a bit o' time an' ya'll be fine."
"I know that." Bo mumbled as he again scraped up the last of the ice cream with his spoon. The way his throat felt he was sure it all just melted as soon as it hit the back of his mouth because his throat was burning. "Don't mean I ain't had enough o' it though."
"I wouldn't think so." Luke smiled at him as he took the empty plate. "I know ya's just about fed up with it, but there ain't all that much ta do about it now, cept get ya well as fast as we can."
"Umm," Bo nodded slowly. "I think I'll sleep now."
"Ya do that, I'll see ya in the morning." He bent down and ruffled his hair lightly. He doubted that Bo would mind since Luke was normally the one who avoided open signs of affection. "Night Bo."
"Night Luke." Bo shifted a bit as he tried to pull the blanket to cover his leg better. He hated the fact that he couldn't lie the way he wanted. He was already tired of having to adjust to it. There was nothing anyone could do about it though, and complaining about it wouldn't change anything. He already knew that well enough so all there was to do about it was deal with it.
Besides he was tired enough to fall asleep even if he was uncomfortable.
He didn't even wake up when Luke came into the room, but Luke headed over to his bed and pulled the cover back up before he started to undress. A life long habit of looking after Bo, combined with the knowledge that Bo always seemed to throw off the cover as he slept. Especially if there was a reason for him to keep it up.
No, not always, he had been hugging it close while he was sick. Unless he got too hot for a bit, then he would throw it off, and five minutes later he was groaning and muttering in his sleep until Luke woke up and pulled it back up for him.
"Ya know, now that they told him an' all, I'm beginning to think we can solve this mess. And aren't those two boys sweet sleeping like that?"
/Please leave a review, the cricket is hungry…..