EPILOGUE
Limping with her crutches, Daisy entered Enos' room at the Hospital, followed by uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke, "How are you, sugar?" She reached his bed and she sat by his side, kissing gently his cheek, "You look a lot better," she caressed the bruise on his left cheek and the bruises on his wrists.
After three days spent in Hospital, the most part of the time just sleeping, Enos smiled, "I guess I had a really bad look when you brought me here."
"You looked like a ghost," Bo sat on a chair and patted Enos' shoulder, "you risked to become a ghost, in effect," he smiled.
"You're right," Enos nodded, gently scratching his forearm where the feeding needle entered his vein, "fortunately you caught the bomber and you found me."
"Enos, don't touch it," Daisy put her hand on Enos' one, stopping his scratching.
"You should have seen Catherine Burns' face when The General jumped the container," Luke laughed, his arms folded as he rested against the wall.
Enos looked at Luke, smiling, "She came to visit me, yesterday, and she told me 'bout everything. She said also she was planning to write an article about the chase, but his chief prohibited her from writing it. He told her that he doesn't want an article 'bout flying cars in his daily; he told The Los Angeles Time is a respectable newspaper, and he doesn't want its readers think its reporters are drunk."
The Dukes' amused laughing added to Enos' laugh.
After that brief relaxing moment, Enos turned serious, "She told me also 'bout detective Colt beating the bomber."
"The bomber is safe and sound, Enos," uncle Jesse answered Enos' silent question, "don't worry."
"If detective Colt hadn't beat the bomber, probably I'd have died. So…," Enos shook his head, "sometimes…," he sighed, "… I'd probably have done the same thing if Daisy had been kidnapped."
Uncle Jesse nodded, "Violence is wrong, but sometimes it could be necessary in order to survive. I served my Country during the II World War, and it happened I killed some soldiers, the enemy. I'm not proud of it, but it was my only chance to survive. Violence is violence, but sometimes, even if you want to avoid it, you have no choice in order to save yourself and people you love. If you don't use violence without cause, or in excess, you have nothing to regret: the stronger man isn't the more violent one, but the man who knows how to avoid violence if not necessary, and the violence is rarely necessary."
Enos nodded, "You're right," his eyes empty, he stared at the bed's sheets, "that day, my colleagues used violence without cause. I can't believe they did it."
"And you did your duty, reporting them, Enos," uncle Jesse's voice was soft and careful, "I know it hurt you, but you should go on, boy, forgetting about it and forgive them for their betrayal, to their badge… and to you. Be proud of yourself and your integrity, and move on."
Daisy nodded, fighting back her grateful tears: uncle Jesse had an unique way to talk to them, always catching the right point and teaching honesty and integrity.
Enos shook his head, "I don't know if I can be so proud of myself, uncle Jesse. I betrayed my badge when I decided to hide the truth behind my beating to detective Colt and Molise."
The Dukes held their breath, surprised by that sudden confession. It was the first time Enos talked about it besides his confession in the cabin, when he thought he could die, so not being able to confess it any more.
Uncle Jesse took a deep breath before to talk, "Nobody is perfect. You are a man, Enos, and that day you were a scared and betrayed man, a man in deep pain. You didn't know if you could trust detective Molise and Colt, and you had good reasons not to trust them. Don't be so strict to you. Stop being more strict to you than to others."
Daisy caught Enos' gentle shivering, "Oh sugar, you should have talked to us 'bout it. Why did you take everything just for yourself?"
"It was too much… painful. Too much painful talking about it," Enos' voice cracked as he felt something more and more big and cold growing inside his chest, "even now it's painful."
Daisy's arms wrapped around his waist and he buried his face against her chest.
He finally cried, giving vent to his pain: he cried for the man beaten by his fellow officers with no reason, he cried for their betrayal to their oath, he cried for the way his fellow officers treated him after he decided to become a "rat", he cried for his beating, and he cried for his own betrayal to his badge.
He cried in Daisy's arms as Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse approached the bed: uncle Jesse sat by Daisy's side, resting his hand on his nape, whereas Bo and Luke sat on the opposite side of the bed, their hands on his back.
He cried in the Dukes' hug, and when he finally stopped crying he felt empty, but a positive and relaxing emptiness, that big and cold weight gone.
When detective Colt and Molise entered the room, he was wiping his tears away.
"Ehm… sorry to bother you, Enos, but…" detective Molise's eyes lingered on the Dukes, "we should talk to you about… you know…"
"Enos, are you ready?" uncle Jesse looked into Enos' eyes.
Enos nodded, "Now I'm ready."
After the Dukes left, Enos stared into detective Colt and Molise's eyes, blue and dark eyes: no cold eyes, after all, but just serious, respectful and worried eyes.
TWO MONTHS AFTER, DUKE'S FARM
Sitting on the couch, Enos stared at the fireplace, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands: despite two full months of inactivity, he felt still weak. Doc Appleby was right; he really needed that time of convalescence (and if he hadn't decided to have rest, following the doctor's advice, Doc Appleby, and the Dukes with him, would have tied him to the bed: their word).
"How's the chocolate?" uncle Jesse entered the living room and sank into his armchair.
"Great, as always, uncle Jesse," Enos smiled.
Daisy (now walking without crunches), Bo and Luke entered the living room.
"It's cold outside," Daisy sank into the couch, by Enos' side.
Bo sat near Daisy, a newspaper in his hands, "Here The Los Angeles Time," he opened it, "Officer Enos Strate was awarded $..., " Bo whistled in surprise and looked at Enos, "WOW, you're rich, buddy," then he kept on reading, " for compensatory damages that include emotional and physical distress. Officer Strate, like any officer who challenges the system, ran into a blue wall. It's called the Blue Code of Silence, an unwritten rule among police officers not to rat on a fellow officer. Many feel it's futile to challenge the blue code, because doing so could mean breaking longstanding traditions and feelings of brotherhood within law enforcement. Violating the silence could lead to being shunned, losing friends, losing back-up, receiving threats, having one's own misconduct exposed and being terminated."
"How are you goin' to use that money, Enos?" sitting on the couch's arm, Luke smiled at his friend, trying to change the subject and to focus on something positive.
"Uh well, for starter, I'm goin' to give part of the money to Cooter, for his Garage, and to Boss, for his office at the Boar's Nest."
The Dukes looked at each other, smiling: Enos' answer didn't surprise them.
"Then, the Orphanage's roof needs to be fixed."
The Dukes nodded.
"And… I'll take the rest of the money for…" Enos blushed, "… myself."
The Dukes were now surprised: Enos had any right to take some money for himself (he deserved it) but they weren't waiting for that answer, since in the past, when Enos gained money thanks to his job (for example a bounty), he usually didn't take anything for himself, employing the whole sum for benefit.
Enos scratched his head, "I need some money to buy a little farm for me and Daisy. We can't live at the Boarding House after we marry."
"Oh Enos," Daisy kissed his cheek.
Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse, knowing that Enos and Daisy were planning their wedding, looked at each other with a knowing and satisfied smile.
Bo handed the newspaper to Enos.
Enos took it from Bo's hand, skimming the article Bo was reading, unable to stand all those words about his beating, the Blue Wall of Silence and the arrest of the real culprits of his beating: it was too much painful, despite the positive ending. How much time did he need to forget? Probably, he was going to remember it for the rest of his life, he could just hope it was going to become less painful.
He had a deep sigh and he turned the page, trying to focus on something different; his eyes opened wide when he realized what he was reading, "Possum on a gum bush! Did Catherine Burns manage to interview… HIM? His interview is for sure more worth than mine," Enos smiled, remembering Catherine Burns' disappointment when she left Hazzard, no interview from him despite her attempts. He focused on the article, and, the more he read, the more he felt happy, moved and sad, an explosive mix of strong and different emotions.
When he closed the newspaper, he realized his friends were looking at him, "I'm OK, don't worry. I want to keep this copy, if you don't mind."
The Dukes sighed in relief, then Daisy stood up, "Thinking 'bout newspapers, it's time to burn some newspapers I still have under my bed."
In confusion, Enos looked at Daisy, Bo and Luke dragging out the farm several copies of The Los Angeles Time, "Why all these copies...," he shook his head, "Daisy Duke, I can't believe you…" he smiled, "you looked for what happened in L.A. in those newspapers whereas I was trying to hide everything to you, didn't you? You're really stubborn," he stood up and he walked out the farm, following his friends and his fiancée.
Outside the farm, in that winter air, Enos looked at the newspapers burning, the fire's heat warming him as he stared at small black pieces of paper flying away, from the fire to the sky, sort of reversed snow.
In his left hand, the only copy of The Los Angeles Time he wanted to keep, forever.
In his mind, the words of the cop he respected the most, words he perfectly understood:
I still have nightmares. I open a door a little bit and it just explodes in my face. Or I'm in a jam and I call the police, and guess who shows up? My old cop buddies who hated me.
Am I disappointed? Am I angry? I wouldn't say I'm angry, but I have a right to be angry. And I have a right to be disappointed.
I'm fighting it from without by representing those who were unjustly wronged, like in my case … We have to stick together. What I hear over and over again is, "We're all brothers," and I go, "Yeah, we're all brothers," and then one guy says, "And you're our father." So that's how I feel. I feel these are my children—every one of them.
My parents are the ones that raised me, and seeing the injustices that happened to them … My grandfather, when he went to get his payroll, he got stabbed and robbed—and hearing that as a young child, maybe in the back of my mind I thought: justice! And then, seeing my uncle in Italy, who was a policeman, and the respect that he got there, I thought, Wow, you do the right thing and people respect you. And this is what I would like to see in my lifetime. That the police be an image of respect.
In his heart, the awareness of having people like the Dukes by his side, people he could totally trust, people caring for him and fighting for him, if he needed it.
Uncle Jesse patted Enos' shoulder, "There is a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right."
Daisy grabbed Enos' right hand, squeezing it, she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes fixed on that reversed snow, and she smiled proud of the honest cop who was going to be her husband.
THE END
LONG EPILOGUE! I know.
Note 1: I don't know if I can name the cop I hinted in the final part of this epilogue (Can I name real people in a fanfic?) Anyway, you should have understood who he is ;-) There's also a famous movie about him. And I took his words from real interviews.
Note 2: "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right." Martin Luther King
But, you know, I think that uncle Jesse would totally say something like that, due to his sense of justice, integrity and idealism (or, at least, it is the idea I have of uncle Jesse). :-)
FINAL note: I decided to use the meaningful words of some real persons, in this epilogue, in order to give a sense to everything I wrote of, and I hope you don't think of it as presumtuouos. It's just a fanfic about Hazzard and Enos Strate, but, entering the sense of his being a cop, I opened the story to a more wide sense (writing, for me, is looking for a sense, especially if I touch some topics).
"I invent characters. At times I feel as if I am digging up people from the ice in which reality enshrounded them, but, maybe, more than anything else, it is myself that I am digging up." David Grossman
So, yeah, in this story there is not only my whole perspective of Hazzard and its characters, but also a lot of myself and my way of thinking of things (I prefer to explain it with a story than in any other way).
THANKS to everybody who reviewed, favorited, followed me and my stories along the years. And THANKS to everybody who simply read.
Bye :-)