Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
The next day, a warning came on the radio. "Citizens of Hazzard County are warned that a hurricane is headed this way. It is expected to hit a couple of days time. All citizens are asked to find a place to keep low until the hurricane passes. Board up your doors and windows. We are advised that the hurricane will pass through swiftly and the worst of it should be over in a few minutes. Do not leave you house or shelter in that time. More updates will be given throughout the next couple of days."
Luke looked at Daisy and Jesse. "Let's start boarding up the windows and getting the animals settled inside the barn. I'm going to reinforce all the beams in the barn and in the house. Don't worry. It'll be fine. We've got enough warning to get everything done."
"What about Bo?" Daisy asked.
"He'll be home by today. Radio said the twister won't hit until the day after tomorrow." Luke assured her. The phone rang then. "That's probably him." Luke went to answer it. "Hello, Duke residence."
"Hey Luke, bad news. The part ain't arriving until later on this afternoon and Uncle Jesse's pick-up broke down." Bo blurted out. Luke closed his eyes. How could something so simple get so complicated all of a sudden.
"Listen, Bo. We just got a hurricane warning. It's going to pass through Hazzard in a couple of days. How long until you can get Jesse's pick-up running again."
"I don't know. The mechanics here ain't very helpful. Says they'll get to it when they can. I told them it just needed a radiator replacement but they say they need to check it over themselves." Bo reported. This is why Luke didn't like city folks. Always trying to make more money out of nothing.
"Don't let them tell you it needs anything else. They just want to charge you more." Luke fumed, he wished he was there with Bo. "If they do, tell them you'll take your business else where."
"Are you guys gonna be okay? I can catch a bus back home and help get the house boarded up." Bo worried over his family. He didn't like the sound of a hurricane coming through the town.
"We'll be fine, Bo. If you can't get the pick-up fixed by tomorrow, stay in the city. I don't want you getting caught in the car when that hurricane hits. Got it?"
"I ain't leaving you guys there to face that thing without me!" Bo exclaimed, if anything was to happen to his family, Bo wasn't sure he would survive. "I'm coming home!"
"Bo, listen to me. We'll be fine. I know it sounds bad, but we'll be okay. We can bunker down and wait for the twister to pass through. According to the radio, it's strong but it'll pass through quickly, but if you get caught in it, it'll be bad." Luke wanted Bo to know how severe it could get if he got caught in the hurricane, "Our house can take it. The pick-up can't. Don't try it. Promise me, Bo."
"I ain't promising nothing!" Bo was getting scared now and his fear was coming through as anger, "You can't make me stay here while you and Jesse and Daisy get hit by a twister."
"Bo..."
"No! You can't make me. It ain't fair." Luke could tell that Bo was really scared now and he hated that Bo was alone. He badly wanted to promise Bo that his family would be fine, but he knew he couldn't be sure that he could keep the promise.
"Okay, if you think you can get home safely. Do it, but don't do anything stupid. We're going to lose communication here, so don't panic if you can't get through to us. Keep an ear on on the radio. They'll have regular updates." Luke told him. "Take care of yourself, Bo."
"You too." Bo had tears in his eyes and Luke could tell he was trying his hardest to keep them at bay. "Tell Uncle Jesse and Daisy that I love them. I love you, Luke."
"I'll tell them. I love you too, Bo. Bye." Luke hung up the phone and turned to his family. "Bo might be stuck there another day. You truck broke down." Jesse sat down in his chair. Luke knelt down beside him. "Everything will be fine. He won't drive back unless he knows it's safe. We need to get the house ready for the storm." Jesse nodded.
Bo hung up the phone and stepped away from the phone booth. He should be with his family. Instead he's stuck here because a stupid part wouldn't arrive and a stupid garage won't fix his uncle's pick-up. Bo glared at the garage across the road. He wanted to go over there and take the radiator and install it himself, but that would be stealing and he would never do that. Bo stomped over there. The three men working there all looked at him. One guy, a young ignorant man, who thought all country boys were cowboys and knew nothing about the real world, stood up and walked up to him. "What do you want, cowboy? We already told you we have to look it over before we can do anything."
Bo glared at him with so much malice that the boy, because that was all he was, took a step back. "I need to get back to my family. My truck better be fixed by tomorrow or else, I swear, I'll turn this whole garage upside down." Bo walked away without saying another word.
The next day, after lunch, Bo went over to the garage. He had already picked up the part he needed for Jesse's tractor and now, just needed to get the pick-up fixed. The truck was still where it was yesterday and didn't look like it had been touched. Again, the same young man walked up to him. "Well..." Bo looked at his name tag, "Bill?"
The young man rolled his eyes, "It'll be fixed, later this afternoon." Bo nodded, it wasn't soon enough, but he'd take it.
"Thanks." Bo spent the hours waiting in a park. He had tried to get in contact with Luke, but the lines were busy. He had a feeling the strong winds may have already taken out some power lines, even if the hurricane hadn't hit yet. He remembered Luke telling him not to panic when that happened, so he tried to keep his mind off what might be happening in Hazzard. "I'll be there by tonight, guys. Wait for me." Bo sent up a prayer to the Good Lord. "I know I haven't been as strong in my belief in You as my Uncle Jesse, but Uncle Jesse had always put his faith in You. Please keep him and his family safe. You can do whatever you want to me, but let them get through this. Please protect them the way they've always protected me. Please." Bo wiped at his tears and continued waiting. When four o'clock came around, Bo returned to the garage. The sight that greeted him caused all the colour to drain from his face. He looked at the three men, they were smirking at him. Bo turned back to the pick-up or what was left of it. It was just a shell. These jerks had taken apart his uncle's pick-up. "All fixed for you, Cowboy. We did you a favour. This piece of crap is only worth something in parts." The same young man Bo had been dealing with sneered at him. If Luke was here, he would probably do or say something to calm Bo down, but Luke wasn't here, so there was no one stopping him. Bo punched the man across the face, sending him into one of the cars he was fixing. Another man tried to grab him, but Bo threw him off and then turned to punch the other guy in the face. It was three on one, but these men were no match for an enraged Bo. The fight continued and the garage was pretty much a mess when a man yelled out, "What the hell is going on here!" Bo was about to punch Bill in the face, but froze. Letting his shirt go, Bill dropped to the ground. "Mister, you better leave before I call in the law." Bo spun on him, the anger had not left Bo and he was ready to go another round. The man was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans. He looked to be Jesse's age and he seemed nice enough, but Bo didn't care.
"Go ahead, call the police so I can tell them how these three jackasses took apart my uncle's truck!" Bo yelled at him, breathing heavily and sporting a couple of bruises on his face.
The man moved his head to the side to look pass Bo at the men on the floor. "Is that right, Bill?"
"No! He brought it in and it wasn't something we could fix."
"You lying, piece of..." Bill started backing away before Bo even took a step.
"Hold it there, Mister." The man put a gentle hand on his shoulder and Bo couldn't help but think of his Uncle Jesse, making him calm down immediately. "How'd it get stripped?"
Bill looked down at his feet. The other two men weren't looking at him either. The man nodded, understanding what they had done. He turned back to Bo. "I'm sorry, Sir, but if the car was beyond repair in the first place..."
"Beyond repair! My truck only needed a new radiator. I told these jerks that, they insisted on looking it over. He..." Bo pointed at Bill, "told me the car would be fix by this afternoon and I come back and find my truck stripped to this!"
The man turned back to Bill, glaring at him. "Is it true?" Bill didn't answer him, "John, you answer me, is it true!" The man named John looked up at him and nodded. The man closed him eyes in disappointment. He turned to Bo. "I'm sorry."
Bo smirked and shook his head. "A hurricane is about to hit Hazzard County. My family is there. I can't call them because the phone lines are down. I need to get back home so that I can be with them when that twister hits and all you can say is, you're sorry!" Bo shook his head again, "Forget it, I'll get a bus home." Bo was about to leave, but decided he had more to say. He turned around and headed straight to Bill, "You think us country boys don't know anything, but I feel sorry people like you. I may have grown up in small town with nothing much, but I have a family, an uncle, who taught me right from wrong, who taught me how to respect other people. What do you have?" Bo asked him, "Nothing! I feel sorry for you." Bo stormed passed, who Bo guessed was the owner, and headed in the direction of the bus depot.
"Wait!" Bo stopped at the entrance of the garage. "Sir, please. Let me make this up to you." He held out his hand, "My name's George and I grew up in the country as well. Placid County to be exact." Bo shook his hand because that was the way he was raised. "There ain't any buses heading towards Hazzard any more because of the hurricane warning. The last bus left about an hour ago." Bo felt as if all the air in his lungs had been drawn out of him. He fell to his knees, trying to breathe. "Sir, are you okay?"
Bo shook his head, "No, I'm not okay. I need to get back home." Bo didn't understand why everything and everyone was against him. "Luke, Daisy and Uncle Jesse will be worried about me. I have to get home."
George nodded, "I understand." He got up and turned back to the garage, "Bill, give me your keys!" Bo looked up at him, confused. He manage to get his legs back under him and got up. Bill came up to them, equally confused. "Give me your keys." George said again.
"Why?" Bill was holding an ice pack to his cheek.
"Because you started all this, so you're going to make it up to this young man." George said, holding out his hand, "Now, you either give me your keys or take off that uniform and never come back." Bill's eyes widened, but he knew that he was getting off lightly. He needed this job. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and handed them to his boss, before walking away, without a word. George took Bo's hand and place the key in them. "The brown Sudan is his. Take it. I would give you my car, but it's old and not very reliable. His car should get you home in time." Bo looked at the key in his hand and then back up to George.
"I can't..." Bo started, shocked at what this man was doing for him.
"Yes, you can. It was my man who did this to you. It's the least I can do. Now go home to your family." George told him. Bo nodded and pulled the man into a hug. George was shocked but he accepted it, smiling.
"Thank you so much, Sir." Bo shook his hand, "I'll bring the car back."
George nodded, "Take your time and be careful. The hurricane's a big one, if you can't get home, find a place to bunker down."
"Yes, Sir." Bo turned to leave before remembering something. "I'm Bo Duke, by the way. If you ever come to Hazzard, look up the Duke farm on Old Mill Road." Bo gave a big smiled before jumping in the brown Sudan and driving off. George smiled as he waved to this young man, who was touched by the love Bo had for his family.
Back at the farm, Luke, Jesse and Daisy had the farm ready for the storm. The animals were as safe as they could be in the barn and Luke had all the beams reinforced to withstand the strong winds. Luke looked up at the sky. "I'd say the storms gonna hit earlier than the radio says. Probably tomorrow morning." Jesse stood on the porch, next to him.
"I think you're right. Come on. Let's get inside." Luke and Jesse headed in. Daisy was sitting in the lounge room, looking very frightened. Luke sat down next to her, hugging her to him.
"We'll be okay. This house has been in our family for generations and survived. It ain't gonna let a hurricane take it down." Luke assured her.
Daisy snuggled into Luke. "I ain't worried about us. We're all together, we'll be fine. Bo's the one I'm worried about. He's out there all alone and I know he's gonna be scared for us."
Luke sighed, he had been trying to stop himself from thinking about his cousin because there was nothing they could do but pray for him. "He can take care of himself, Daisy. Bo will be fine. He has to be." Because Luke couldn't imagine Hazzard County without Bo Duke. "He'll be fine." Daisy could tell that Luke was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
Bo was driving along the highway that lead to Hazzard County. Another 45 minutes or so and he'd be home with his family. He was smiling at the thought of being with his family, even if it was amongst a hurricane. "I'm coming, Luke." Bo said at the same time the car started spluttering and then dying. Bo frowned, "You're kidding me." Bo turned the key, but the car wouldn't start. "How bad can this day get!" He flung open the door and popped the hood. Looking at the engine, he couldn't see what was wrong. Getting down under the car, he found the problem. He fuel line was cracked and was leaking fuel. Bo got up and looked at the gas meter. It was empty. "Dang it!" He looked in the boot to see if there was any fuel but this stupid car didn't even have a spare tyre. "I can't believe this guys a mechanic and he doesn't even have the basics in his, dang, car!" Bo couldn't believe how bad his luck has been since he left Hazzard County. He'd have to wait for a car to drive by and see if they could give him a ride or spare some fuel. The winds were getting strong, so Bo got back into the car. No car was going to pass by because everyone was bunkered down somewhere to wait out the storm. Everyone except Bo, who wasn't even worried about himself, but his family. "Why did I have to go to Atlanta?"
The radio wasn't wrong. When the hurricane hit. It was strong but it was also fast. Passing through Hazzard County but leaving minimal damage. Luke, Daisy and Jesse could hear the creaking of the house as the strong winds tried to take it down, but it stood strong, just as Luke had predicted. The three of them were huddled together in Bo's bed with Daisy between them. It was Daisy's idea to spend the night in their room. Bo wasn't here, but they needed to feel his presence. It helped, a little.
Bo watched helplessly as the hurricane appeared in front of him in the distance. He marvelled at the sight of the twister. The whirlwind looked strangely magnificent in all it's deadliness. Bo felt the car being moved by the strong winds as the hurricane got closer. He realised that he may not survive this, but the only thought in his mind was his family...Luke. He knew the hurricane was over Hazzard right now, but it was moving fast and before he knew it. His car was picked up by the hurricane. Bo held on the steering wheel. He was inside the hurricane. Closing his eyes, he held on for dear life. He could hear the creaking of the door as it was torn off. Bo didn't know how but he held onto the steering wheel as the hurricane tried to pull him from the car. What felt like long hours, was only minutes before the hurricane spat the car back out, but Bo didn't hear or feel the impact of the car in the trees because he was thrown clear and hit the ground with enough impact to break bones.