A/N: I've decided to discontinue the balladeer in this story because I'm having extreme difficulties in working him in anywhere since there isn't much action in this story. Sorry for any inconvenience that may cause you lovely folks out there.

Chapter 3: Warning: Ladders Cause Serious Injuries

After a few frantic seconds of waiting for Luke to approach him and remove the metal ladder from his foot, the pain in Bo's foot finally eased up--a little. No one could speak for a few seconds, just breathe heavily. Michelle had pulled up in her car as Bo was howling over the pain, and rushed over to see what the commotion was about, and Jesse had come from inside, too.

"Ouch," Bo spat out, clutching his foot. He was sitting on the ground, ladder thrown next to him.

"You okay?" Luke asked. Bo nodded, but winced. "Let's try ta take off that shoe, see what the damage is." When Bo nodded again, Luke took Bo's foot in his had and pulled on the shoe.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Bo howled again. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Luke, stop! Don't try no more!"

"Too late," Luke said, holding Bo's shoe in his hand. "Already got it off."

"Owwwwww," Bo said.

"What happened?" Michelle asked.

"That's what I'd like ta know," Jesse said.

Luke explained what happened to Michelle and Jesse. He also explained how he figured that the ladder collapsed because Bo's foot had caught on the safety lock. Then he looked down at Bo's foot, which was bruised and swollen. "Bo," he said, "I think we'd best getcha ta Doc Applebee's. That foot's prob'ly broke." Bo nodded in agreement and allowed Luke and Daisy to help him to the car, still deeply pained.

Michelle and Jesse watched as they drove away. "Well," Jesse said. "We best get ta work. Bo's gonna want a nice home cooked meal when he gits back."

Michelle smiled. "Should you go git the crawdads or should I?" she quipped. Jesse grinned, and knew she would fit into the family nicely.


It was almost 6 o'clock when the storm door of the Dukes' house opened. Daisy held it open, while Luke supported Bo inside, mumbling "Easy now, Bo."

"Hey guys," Michelle greeted. "How ya doin', honey?"

Bo grunted, pulling himself forward on his crutches. "Fractured foot. Gotta stay off this dang thing fer six weeks."

"Aww," she said jokingly. She smiled. "Don't worry, Uncle Jesse and I made your favorite! Crawdad bisque! Can't ya smell it?" Still grinning, she held up a bowl of crawdad bisque underneath his nose and sniffed. "Yum!"

Bo raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled. "All right, I'll eat some." He sat down and Michelle put the bowl down in front of him. He eagerly dug in.

Luke, Daisy, Michelle, and Jesse followed suit and they ate a nice meal, and afterwards, they relaxed before Michelle reluctantly went home and they went to bed.


"Hey Uncle Jesse," Bo said, seeing his uncle as he made his way into the kitchen. "How're we gonna git the addition done if I can't do nothin' fer six weeks?"

"Oh yeah," Jesse agreed, "I didn't think a that one. We'll think a somethin', Bo, don' worry."

"Hey, buddy-roo's," Cooter's voice came through the screen door. "Luke did think a that. An' I think I can help ya out there. I'll help Luke with the addition till Bo's back on his feet."

Bo sighed. "Thanks buddy. 'Preciate it."

"No problem. Things has been real slow at the garage lately, so I figure I can spend some time here. So I better git back out there an' help Lukas with it." He went back outside.

"Answer yer question, Bo?" Jesse asked.

Bo smiled, and nodded.

Outside, Michelle pulled her car up the Duke driveway. She came to a stop and stepped out.

"Hey, Luke, Cooter!" she greeted, seeing them both on top of the addition's frame.

"Hey, Michelle!" Luke and Cooter called in unison.

"Don't fall, guys!" she joked. "Where's Bo?"

"Inside!" Cooter shouted down. "What've ya got there?" he asked about the picnic basket Michelle held in her hands.

"I thought I'd cheer Bo up a little!" she said. "I'm gonna bring 'im outside fer a picnic!"

"Okay!" Luke consented. "Just stay close to the house!"

Michelle nodded, and headed inside to seek out her injured fiance. "Bo!" she called.

She quickly received an answer. "I'm in here!" he responded from the living room. She set the picnic basket down on the table as she made her way into the living room, finding both Bo and Uncle Jesse in there having a nice talk.

"If you guys are real engaged in your conversation," she began, "I can go outside."

"No tha's all right," Jesse told her. "You go ahead, I know ya got somethin' planned."

"We have somethin' planned?" Bo questioned. "Uncle Jesse, what do you know that I don't?"

"Just that ya'll got somethin' planned," Jesse replied mysteriously as he got up to leave. Michelle smiled at him, and Jesse winked in reponse.

"What do we got planned?" Bo asked again.

"Come on," she ordered. "We're goin' out by the barn ta have picnic lunch."

"Okay," Bo said unenthusiastically. "Let's go."

Michelle smiled. The headed outside and picked out the perfect spot to enjoy their picnic. They spent a couple hours, just sitting in the sun and chatting. Mostly they discussed how life was going to be after they were married and had the baby, along with some naughty things that are too private to share, and are not suitable for small children. By the time they finally made their way back inside, Bo was finally in a good mood.


He didn't stay that way for long, however. The next few weeks were very frustrating for Bo, and he and Michelle got in a couple of good squabbles. Don't worry, they always made up in the end, but neither half of the couple were happy.

That seemed to take a turn for the better as the day Bo got the cast off his foot. He couldn't walk without seriously limping yet, and probably wouldn't go away before the wedding, according to his doctor. They concluded that although he might look funny when he walked his new wife down the aisle, that wasn't the important thing. Bo actually listened to them, and he immediately felt better. Also because now, he could do his job as an expecting father and take care of the mom, instead of the pregnant woman taking care of her injured husband, or in this case, finacee.

Finally the big day had arrived, and things weren't looking to good for Hazzard County's almost newest married couple. They had to do that whole can't see each other till the ceremony starts once the clock strikes midnight the night before thing, and so they argued over the phone over the stupidest thing:

"Bo," Luke said as he caught Bo giving his arguement. "Who are ya yellin' at?"

"None a yer business," Bo told him.

However, Michelle thought he was talking to her. "Do you mind telling me what's not my business? This is my wedding too."

"Not you!" Bo proclaimed. "I was talkin' ta Luke! Now as I was saying Shelly, ya coulda told me you were changin' the flowers!"

"Why is it so important?" Michelle wondered. "What's the big deal?"

As Michelle said this, Luke made his own statement. "You an' Michelle are arguin' over the flowers? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" He started laughing.

Bo ignored him, and listened to Michelle instead of Luke. "I thought we were makin' every desicion tagether! Is this how ya want our marriage ta start? What happened ta honesty?"

Michelle sighed. "Bo, you're overreacting," she said serenely.

"Am I?" Bo said.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were the pregnant one," Michelle retorted.

"Is that right?" said Bo with a note of hostility.

"Mm hmm," she said.

"You know what?" Bo said, his voice rising. Then it went back to a reasonable level. "You're absolutely right."

"I know," Michelle said calmly. "See ya at the church, honey."

"All right, bye Shelly." They hung up.


A/N: Okay, that's all for now. You'll have to come back later for the wedding. Don't know if you noticed, but I think my writing style got a little weird there towards the end. Sorry bout that. I'm in a cynical mood today. Forgive me. Or maybe if you did notice, and you like it, I'll stick with it. It was actually kind of fun. Review, that's all I ask. PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP!