Chapter 15: Doin' it All Over Again
Well there's nothing like curling up on the couch with your father's laptop on an incredibly rainy day on vacation in the Seattle area and writing a nice, depressing chapter of your story. This one is probably the saddest thing I've ever written, so I'm posting a major tissue warning here. Enjoy, and don't forget to give me feedback because my brain gets easily hungry for that kind of stuff.
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Two more years later, Lois was still a bubbly child. Now at the age of seven, she got into even more trouble than before. Sometimes she used her now four-year-old cousin Charlie as a partner in crime. Also, Luke and Jamie, after several months of anxiety over the topic, had gotten pregnant once more. Lois and Charlie now had a year old male cousin called Ryan. Still, Jamie and Luke used the room that he once shared with Bo, and now Ryan had taken over Daisy's old room. Uncle Jesse was still alive and kicking. Daisy and Enos were pregnant again.
However, Hazzard County had endured a massive change the year before when J.D. Hogg had met his reward up in the barber chair up above. He pushed up the daisies after suffering from a major heart attack. None of the townsfolk had been surprised, however, considering the man's diet. Lulu had never been the same, and now she moved back in with Rosco and their momma, who was also showing no signs of slowing down. Rosco had been made County Commissioner after Boss's death, and he promoted Enos to sheriff. Cletus was still just a dipstick deputy, but he was okay with that.
Now it was the beginning of 1993. Things were going pretty well for the Dukes. Bo had gotten a paying job with Cooter, as did Luke. Daisy still worked at the Boar's Nest, which was now a better paying job since it was owned jointly by Lulu and Rosco.
The first morning after Christmas break that Lois was to return to school, all sat down to eat a peaceful breakfast. It didn't stay that way long, however, when Luke noticed that someone was not at the table.
"Bo, where's Uncle Jesse?" he asked.
Bo looked around the table before shaking his head. "I don't know, Luke. It ain't like 'im ta be late fer breakfast, cause he's the one who says grace!"
"I sure hope he's okay," Luke commented, scooting his chair back and getting up. "I'll be right back." Anxiously, he exited the kitchen in search of his uncle.
The first place he looked was in Jesse's bedroom. Jesse wasn't there, so he moved on to the bathroom. Again, the Duke patriarch was not present. Now, Luke was slightly less nervous, considering sometimes that cow, almost as stubborn as Maudine, just didn't want to give milk that easily. Maybe she was giving Uncle Jesse trouble and he was out there now teaching her a lesson.
Passing by the kitchen again, Luke grinned, telling the younger members of the family he was going out to help Jesse with the cow. Slowly, he stalked towards the barn, but he quickly grew suspicious when he didn't hear any noise coming from the barn except for some bleating from the cow. As he entered, he saw a puddle of white liquid near her. He didn't see Jesse. He moved around her, stifling a scream at what he saw.
Jesse lay unmoving on the floor. Luke's initial thought was that the cow had given them more reason the just make some hamburger out of it. The dang thing must have kicked Jesse! But after looking his uncle over, Luke saw no marks indicating a cow attack. Then Jesse, now only half-conscious, began to speak.
"Luke..." he croaked. "Ya do me a favor...you take care o' yer cousins fer me." Before Luke had a chance to answer, Jesse's eyes shut, never to open again. The younger man sat there, tears sporting in his blue eyes, holding his now deceased uncle.
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"I guess it was a heart attack," Luke explained dryly to his cousins. "Leastways that's what the coroners said."
Bo sniffed to hold back more tears. "I don't understand how this happened, Luke. Wasn't Uncle Jesse just fine yesterday? Did ya'll think there was somethin' wrong with 'im?"
Daisy wasn't bothering to keep her sobs to herself. She knew her efforts would prove futile. "No! There weren't nothin' wrong with him! He was fine! I don't get it either, Bo." She allowed Luke to embrace her in a hug.
"I know how ya feel, sweetheart," he answered comfortingly. "We knew this would happen someday. He was gettin' old. It was just his time."
No matter how much he tried not to show it, Luke was just as torn up inside as his younger cousins. Yet no matter how much this was true, he was attempting to stay strong for them, and the children, too. Mostly, he was worried about Bo, who was always emotional during these types of situations, such as when their Aunt Martha had died, and Michelle. He was always open with his feelings, and everybody knew it. This time, however, Bo was quiet and reserved, and this concerned Luke.
"Now what do we do?" Bo asked dejectedly.
"I guess we'll have a wake this weekend," Luke said. "I know Uncle Jesse'd want that. An' then on Sunday we'll have a funeral. After a regular church service, of course."
It made the three cousins sick to their stomach, making such plans for Jesse. Eventually, however, they got plans made and family on the way. Coy, Vance, Jeb, and Jud were all due to arrive in Hazzard the next day, which was Wednesday. The wake would take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and they'd lay Jesse Duke to rest on the Sabbath day.
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"Daddy?" came Lois's voice, startling Bo from his daze. "Is Uncle Jesse an' Mommy in the same place?"
"Well, Lois," Bo started, lifting his daughter to sit on his lap. "I am pretty sure they are tagether, an' they's up in the sky with God an' Jesus." He tried not to let himself cry in front of Lois.
She, however, began to cry heavily. "Daddy, I miss Uncle Jesse!"
"I do too, baby, I do too," Bo said, kissing the top of her head.
In the doorway, Luke stood watching his younger cousin. He now understood Bo's stifled emotions. The younger man had a daughter to take care of, one who was old enough to understand what was going on. But still, how long would it be before the most emotional Duke cousin couldn't hold it in anymore? That was the question that weighed heavily on Luke's mind.
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Well, I could keep writing, but if I do, I'll make it part of the next chapter. Five days is better than two months, right? If you guys are lucky, you'll get the next chapter hopefully just as soon. So now I've decided to end this chapter here, so you can get a tissue refill before the next chapter. Click the little pale blue or pale purple (depending on your internet provider, I guess) that is telling you what I want you to do and that's to submit reviews.
