Chapter 5: The Joys of First Time Pregnancies

A week had passed since the glorious occasion. It was decided that Michelle would share Daisy's room until the addition was finished. Bo and Luke would continue to share their room. Bo and Michelle wished they could sleep together, but they understood that this was simply the most convenient way to do it. This was also a way to make them work faster on the addition. Although Bo did realize how much he was going to miss sharing with Luke. He'd been sharing a room with Luke since he moved into the Duke farm when he was just under a year old.

Luke had been six years old at the time, and though then he didn't like sleeping with his baby cousin, now, at at 29, he knew he would miss his 23-year-old "baby" cousin. Even though Bo would be still in the house, it wouldn't be right sleeping in that room by himself. The only thing that kept him working hard on the addition was the notion that his cousin was going to be very happy with his growing family.

On the morning of the eighth day of their marriage, Luke woke up to Michelle giving Bo a hard time in the kitchen. Apparently, Michelle didn't want bacon with her eggs, she wanted sausage. But they didn't have any! Unfortunately for Bo, no one in their house had any experience with pregnancies, so no one was sure what to do. Michelle was. She wouldn't mind if Bo went out and killed a pig so she could have sausage.

"Bo," she whined. "Why don't we have any sausage?" Bo shrugged. "I can't make this family breakfast unless I have sausage!"

"Why can't ya use bacon?" Luke heard Bo wonder.

"I can't use bacon because I don't want to use bacon!" Michelle insisted.

"Where do ya expect me ta go find some sausage right now?" Bo asked her.

"How should I know?" asked an exasperated Michelle. "Go to a neighbor's house!"

"You expect me to go to someone's house now?" Bo yelled. This is when Luke butted in.

"Hey come on, Bo, I'll come with ya," he suggested.

"Wait," Bo said. "Yer on her side?"

"Yeah, now come on," Luke said, pulling Bo out the door.

"I ain't believin' this Luke. How could ya side with her?"

"I'm not. I just said that so I could getcha outta there. You should be thankin' me, not yellin' at me. Let's go." He drug his cousin around to the side of the house where they found Daisy in the barn.

"Hey fellas," Daisy greeted. "Ain't it nice a Michelle ta cook breakfast fer us this mornin'?"

"Not really," Bo said, a little confused as to what was going on. "She says she can't cook it until I go out an' git 'er some sausage."

"Yeah so come on Daisy," Luke said. "Git in the General. We're all goin' ta git some sausage."

Bo looked desparately at Luke. "We're leavin' Uncle Jesse alone with 'er? Poor Uncle Jesse . . ."

"Aww, don't worry Bo," Daisy assured him. "Uncle Jesse's out on the back forty. He won't notice. So where we goin'."

"Don't worry Daisy," Luke said. "I'll explain on the way."

Ten minutes later, the Duke cousins arrived at a farm. It was the Strate farm. Luke, having heard that Mr. and Mrs. Strate were gone for the weekend, knew that Enos was watching the place. He brought Daisy because he knew Enos would give up his extra sausage for her. He waited in the car while his two younger cousins made their way up to Enos's front door.

A few seconds after knocking on the door, Enos came to greet the Dukes. "Hey there Daisy," he said. "Hey Bo. Can I help ya'll?"

"Ya sure can sugar," Daisy said. "Do ya have any sausage?"

"Well, yeah, honey-bun," he said. "But I was gonna make me some breakfast with it."

"If you let us have that sausage, you can come over for breakfast," Bo offered. "Please, I'm desparate. You have no idea what it's like living with a pregnant woman."

Enos shook his head, but then accepted. He went back with the Dukes to the farm (after grabbing the sausage of course), which made Michelle a happy woman.


When Michelle was about seven months along, Bo had another negative experience as an expectant father. Only this time it wasn't about random cravings, it was about random mood swings. It happened when Bo and Luke were done putting drywall in, and were almost done with installing utilities, such as plumbing and electricity. After that they'd start painting the walls before finally putting in flooring.

They were hauling things back and forth from Jesse's pickup, and they began singing a two-part harmony to "I'll Fly Away." They didn't even realize they had an audience until they were finished. Daisy and Michelle stood there, clapping as they hit their last note.

"That was great, guys," Daisy commented. Bo and Luke looked up to see their two favorite women standing there.

"Heh, thanks guys," Luke said sheepishly. Bo just blushed.

"Hey, why don't you guys let us see the inside?" Michelle suggested. "I'm dying to see the inside. I gotta see what you guys have done." Bo and Luke agreed and led the girls into the addition.

"Wow," Daisy said. "This is really comin' along. 'Fore ya know it, you'll be outta my room Michelle, an' in here."

Michelle's eyes misted over. "I know. You guys have done an outstanding job here. I can't wait to move in."

Bo and Luke smiled. "Thanks honey," Bo said before kissing his wife on the top of the head.

Michelle had tears streaming down her cheeks by this point. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Bo!"

"Aww, honey, ya deserve me plenty," Bo said, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry bout that."

"No," she wailed. "You're too good for me. I should really do better."

"Honey you're perfect," Bo told her. "There ain't nothin' wrong with ya."

"But I'm not pretty, and I've been a major pain these last seven months. You've been so good to me; you've put up with me and you've barely complained."

"Aww Shelly," Bo soothed. "It ain't been that bad." In his mind however, he was thinking, Just two more months, just two more months! But he weould never tell that to Michelle because then she'd really lose it. "It's almost over anyhow."

"Not soon enough," Michelle sobbed. "How do I not annoy you? I even annoy myself."

"Because I love you, that's why."

A few more minutes of talk like this, and Bo had his wife pretty well under control, much to his, Daisy's, and Luke's relief.


A week later, Bo and Michelle had a bit of a scare. They were making a trip to town on a sunny Friday afternoon with Luke. Bo sped down the roads at his usual pace. Suddenly, he noticed two police cars on his tail.

"Dang, it's Rosco and his dipstick deputies!" Bo exclaimed. "Hang on honey!" Luke put his arm around Michelle's shoulders and held on tight. Michelle wasn't surprised by this action, she knew how her husband was behind the wheel of a car, especially the General Lee.

The four-car caravan sped down Highway 16, laying up rubber on the Georgia asphalt. "Bo, isn't the Dry Creek Bridge under construction?" Michelle wondered.

"Yeah," Bo said. "Don't really wanna jump this creek with a pregnant woman, but I ain't got no choice now."

Michelle nervously bit her lip as Bo slammed on the gas, streaming through the sky. They didn't land so smoothly on the other side, with Bo landing on a sharp rock and blowing out the tire. They swereved around the road for a moment before coming to a stop on the side. No one moved or breathed for a moment, but Luke noticed Michelle's face was as white as Boss Hogg's clothes.

Rosco and Cletus made it over, but Enos ended up in the creek. Rosco and Cletus each disembarked their respective vehicles, Rosco grinning and giggling to himself.

"This time I gotcha!" Rosco proclaimed with excitement. "I really gotcha!" Flash barked in response. "Step outta the vehicle, ya'll!"

Luke ignored Rosco, but reached behind Michelle to tap Bo's shoulder. He used his head to indicate for him to notice how sickly Michelle looked. Bo noticed, and immediately panicked.

"Michelle, honey?" he said. "Ya alright?" Michelle, who was looking at the floor, shook her head no. Bo looked up at Rosco. "Please don't arrest us, not now," he pleaded. "Michelle needs ta git ta a doc, real bad."

Rosco honestly wasn't sure of what to do. He knew if he kept them, then Michelle could be in serious danger. He also knew if he let them go, Boss Hogg would be very mad. He just stood there for a moment, considering the pros and cons of each option.

Luke could tell he was struggling for an answer, so he came up with one himself. "How 'bout you arrest us, an' take us in yer car, and Cletus'll take Michelle ta Tri-County in his car? Will that work?"

"That's a dang good idea!" Rosco admitted. "Cletus, escort this lady ta Tri-County, would ya?" Cletus nodded, and once Bo and Luke had gotten out of the General and helped Michelle out, he led Michelle over to his car. Bo grabbed a hold of her first.

"Don't worry honey," he consoled. "It'll be okay, you'll see. Uncle Jesse'll have us outta jail before you can say 'chickamahoney.' I'll see ya soon." He carefully hugged his wife before joining Luke.

That's when Enos appeared from the river. "Can someone call Cooter an' ask 'im ta git m'car outta the river?" he asked. Everyone ignored him except for Cletus, who threw him a towel and told him to get in the backseat.

Rosco took the boys and sped off towards town, and Cletus, Michelle, and Enos went the opposite direction towards the hospital.


"All right Bo, Luke, what happened?" Uncle Jesse wondered. He barged into Hazzard's jail. "Where's Michelle?" Jesse had not yet heard about Michelle having to go to the hospital. "Ya'd better start talkin', right now."

The boys went on to explain everything to their uncle, including how Michelle went off with Cletus and Enos.

"An' that's what happened," Bo concluded at the end. "I know I shouldn't have jumped the creek with a pregnant woman in the car, but I couldn't see any other way, 'cept ta jus' drive right on inta the creek."

"That's all right Bo," Jesse comforted his nephew. "It weren't yer fault, ya couldn't help it. I unnerstand, an' I betcha Michelle does too. Now lemme pay yer bail an' getcha outta here. Then we'll drive straight on ta Tri-County ta see Michelle." When Bo nodded, Jesse hollered for Rosco up the stairs.

"Jesse," Rosco said angrily as he came down the stairs, fists clenched. "I ain't Flash, I don't just come when ya call me like a dog!"

Jesse grinned. "An' yet, ya jest did," he pointed out.

"Iiiiigiiiit!" Rosco exclaimed. "Hush up, Jesse!"

"But I wanna pay the boys' bail, an' then we'll be outta yer hair," Jesse said.

"That'll be a hundred a piece," Rosco said, grinning.

"Rosco!" Jesse yelled. "I ain't got that kinda money ta bail out, 'specially when m'boys didn't really do nothin' wrong!"

"Oh, piddly," Rosco returned. "Then I ain't got the time ta listen ta yer piddly complaints."

"Ya got enough fer one of us, Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Jesse answered. "But it wouldn't be right ta bail out one a-ya's but not the other'n."

"Naw, go ahead 'n' bail out Bo," Luke said. "He's gotta wife he needs ta tend to. I don' mind stayin' 'ere by m'self." Bo looked at his cousin hesitantly. "Go!" Luke reassured.

"Well, okay," Bo said.


Cletus, Enos, and Michelle quickly arrived at Tri-County. Once they were out of the car, Enos and Cletus each grabbed one of Michelle's arms and they slowly made their way inside the building. Once they got inside, they immediately found an orderly, who took Michelle to the ER. Not sure what to do next, Cletus and Enos hastily went over to the waiting room. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, occasionally Cletus would start whistling. The two police officers were the only ones in the waiting room. Finally Enos couldn't take it anymore, and he broke the silence.

"Ya think Daisy knows 'bout this yet?" he asked Cletus.

"I ain't sure," Cletus said. "Yer her boyfriend, not me." Cletus had been extremely jealous of Enos since he had starting courting Daisy.

"I'm gonna call down at the Boar's Nest 'n' tell 'er," Enos decided. "I'll be back."

While Enos was gone, a doctor came out and talked to Cletus.

"Are you Michelle's husband, Bo Duke?" he asked, glancing over at his charts.

"No sir," Cletus answered. "I'm deputy Cletus Hogg, Bo asked if me an' another deputy Enos Strate would bring 'er here. Bo ain't here yet."

"Well," the doctor said. "I'm Dr. Matheson. It appears Michelle has gone into early labor. We're in there trying to stop it."


Okay, I'd write more, but I'm just about to leave for a week, so I will give you this chapter now. Enjoy, and remember to review.