Chapter 15: The Long Night

Luke was in the waiting room with his uncle waiting for word about Bo. You'd think that as often as this family spent time here it would seem like a second home (much as Rosco's Iron Bar Hotel had become).

Luke hated hospitals; all of the Dukes did. When the state police arrived to take his and Jesse's statements about the kidnappings, it had given them something to do other than to watch the door that the doctors and nurses kept going in and out of but only temporarily. He was still watching that door, waiting for one of them to ask for the Duke family, when his cousins finally made it to the hospital. Without conversation at all, each took up their stations to keep a vigil waiting for word on the ill Duke. Shortly after midnight, a doctor finally asked for the Duke family.

"I'm looking for the family of Beauregard Duke."

"That's us. How's my cousin?" Luke rushed over and beat the others to the doctor. The whole family gathered around as the doctor began to fill them in.

"I'm afraid that we still haven't been able to bring his fever down. He is severely dehydrated, has a buildup of fluid on his lungs, and it appears that he had aspirated on some of his vomit. He has developed pneumonia in both lungs as well. I'm afraid he'll be staying with us for a while. I'll have someone to come and tell you when he's been moved into a room."

Once the doctor left, the Dukes all returned to their seats to resume their waiting. Well, most of them sat down. Luke had spent enough time sitting over the last two days and had taken to pacing the waiting room much in the same way Bo usually did when he was on this side of the hospital doors.

Daisy was sitting next to Jesse as he tried to convince her that Bo would be alright. Jebb was sitting next to Kira where it appeared that she had begun to doze.

After a while, Luke joined Jebb and spoke to him in hushed whispers. Jebb explained how he and Kira had known to search the silver mines for them. About how he had found Kira zoned out in front of the fire Friday night only to learn of her strange experience of seeing the family in the mine.

Luke found it hard to believe that he and the others owed their lives to Kira and Bo's unusual bond.

Hours later, a nurse told the family that Bo had been settled into a room. They could each go in for about five minutes but then would need to wait until visiting hours the next day before seeing him again. With Luke waking the others, they each took turns checking in on Bo. Jesse then insisted that the family return home for what was left of the night.

Luke resisted of course. He didn't like the idea of leaving Bo alone. Kira was able to convince Jesse to let her stay since later on she would have to return to Atlanta for court the next morning.

While Luke would have preferred to stay himself, he relented and left Bo's twin to call if there was any change in his condition. Once home, Luke couldn't seem to relax. He was restless from both his worry over Bo and the fact that the last time he had been home, it had been over-run by gunmen. It still bothered him, too, that he still had no idea why the Dukes had been swiped at gunpoint from their home. If he only knew why.

Luke went on up to his and Bo's room only to keep from being sent up by Jesse. Once upstairs, Luke laid down restlessly and waited for the pre-dawn hours when it would be time to get up for the morning chores. Meanwhile, the hours went by ever so slowly for Luke as he laid wide awake thinking back on the last few days.

Just as dawn began to break, Kira sensed a slight change. Looking up from her perch beside her brother, Kira watched as Bo finally began to stir.

'Welcome back.' She smiled as Bo's eyes were slowly peeking out beneath his long blond lashes. 'How're you feeling?'

'You really want me to answer that?' Bo groaned as he closed his eyes once more. His chest hurt just from breathing and he was still nauseated, too. After a minute, it dawned on Bo that he wasn't in his own bed. Opening his eyes again, Bo realized that he was in the hospital. 'How long have I been here?'

'Only a little over twelve hours.' Kira stopped for a few seconds before continuing, 'You were pretty bad off. You have double pneumonia now instead of just the flu.'

'How could things change that much in just a few hours?'

'Bo, it's Sunday morning.' Bo's eyes went big as he realized that he had missed so many days. 'Bo, what's the last thing you remember?'

'Well, other than being sicker than a dog, talking to you about you coming down. Taking some sort of medicine that Doc Appleby left Wednesday when he came out. Not much after that. What did I miss?'

'You'll have to ask Luke what happened Thursday. When I woke up Friday, I realized no one was at the farm. I called Jebb and we spent the next two days looking for you guys. All of you were being held in one of the old silver mines. The cold air couldn't have been good on your lungs.'

Kira saw that Bo was doing his best to stay awake. He wanted to hear more about what had happened while he was out of it. Despite his best efforts, though, his eyelids had become as heavy as lead.

'Get some more sleep. Luke will be here when you wake up. He'll fill you in.' Kira sat back again as Bo drifted off.

Kira sat up in the uncomfortable plastic chair. She never would understand why the least comfortable furniture always found its way to places where people would spend the most time using them. Looking at her watch, Kira realized that she must have drifted off again. Getting up to stretch, Kira stepped outside to get some fresh air for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

Watching the first beginnings of the Georgia sunrise, Kira wondered just what had really happened to put the Dukes in such danger. Hogg knew something, even if he wasn't competent enough to actually have carried out the plan to abduct her family, he knew who had. Possibly even knew why. As soon as she could, she fully intended to make Hogg answer her questions.

After a few moments in the chilled December morning air, Kira returned to her post in the waiting room. Briefly, she considered heading to the cafeteria for something to drink but quickly decided against it. Knowing the others, especially Luke, they'd be arriving shortly. She'd get something then.

After looking at the hard uncomfortable chairs, Kira decided that it would probably be better to just remain standing. When the door opened again, a nurse came in to give a report on Bo; she said that his fever had finally broken. With that good news, Kira went ahead and called the farm. Luke had already left out for the hospital, but she was able to pass the news on to Daisy who then shared it with the others. Minutes later, Luke walked in.

"How's Bo? Has there been any change?" Luke asked as he quickly came over to Kira.

"The nurse came out and said his fever had finally broken. I called the farm and talked to Daisy and told her and Jesse. He is also in a lighter sleep now. I promised him you'd be in there when he wakes up." The last part earned her an odd look as Luke cocked an eyebrow at her. "I got to talk to him briefly when he first came out of the deep sleep. He still hasn't woken up yet all the way, but it shouldn't be long."

"How are you holding up?" Luke asked his younger cousin as he eyed her.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm not the one who was kidnapped at gun point. I should be asking you that same question."

"I'm more frustrated than anything. Having more questions than answers can annoy me faster than nearly anything," Luke confessed as he ran his hand through his dark hair.

"I know Hogg knows something, I'm just not sure what. I saw that much when I spoke to him Friday."

Luke thought about that before responding. "I suppose he could have gotten involved with something and lost control of it. Boss is as crooked as a dog's hind leg, but he's never intentionally hurt anyone. And this wouldn't be the first time that things have spiraled out of control after he set things in motion."

"It sounds like you're defending Hogg. After everything that he has put you and the others through over the years, how can you stand there and try to figure out how he ain't responsible?" Kira said in disgust.

"I just know Boss, is all. He is crooked and greedy, but he'd never want anyone hurt."

Kira looked at Luke trying to understand how he could have such faith in a man who seemed to take great pleasure in creating an unending string of heartache for the Duke family. Personally, she had no love lost on the man and fully planned to learn to what extent Hogg's involvement was. Before Kira could voice such thoughts, a nurse returned and informed the cousins that one of them could sit with Bo.

Luke went off to sit with his cousin as Kira headed off to the cafeteria in search of some breakfast still thinking about the fact that the other Dukes seem to trust their commissioner despite the fact that he seemed completely untrustworthy.

Kira returned to the waiting room shortly after her brief breakfast just as the rest of the Dukes arrived at the hospital. Jesse and Daisy headed straight to Bo's room as Jebb remained behind to talk to Kira.

"How is he?" Jebb asked after the other Dukes left him and Kira alone.

"Better this morning. He's awake and talking to Luke. I think Luke's gonna be the only one that will be able to keep Bo in that bed, though. As soon as he woke up, he started trying to get up so he could go home. I heard one nurse actually threatened to have him tied to the bed if he didn't stop gettin' up. He's totally ticked about missing days, but if anyone'll calm Bo down, it's Luke."

"Yep, Luke's been doin' that for years. For as long as I can remember, they've always been just like brothers, them two," Jebb said with a chuckle.

"See what you missed by only having sisters in Placid."

Kira knew that at times, Jebb had felt cheated by only having sisters. One older, later, there were the twins that came along when he was a teenager. He was the only boy in a house full of women with only his father to help balance the house out.

"You could have had to have filled Luke's role in your own right and had to keep a wild-eyed brother under control." Kira winked at Jebb as he snorted at the suggestion.

"Then I'd been in trouble. What with the trouble I always seemed to find on my own, not to mention when I come to Hazzard. Bo and I were a deadly pair. I'm not sure at times if Luke wished I hadn't visited by the end of all them summers. Instead of being on probation now, I'd probably be in the State Penn if'n I was responsible for a brother, too."

"And a shame that'd be, too. Look on the bright side, we might have still met. Just not on the track. I could have been assigned as your lawyer."

Jebb made a face as he thought of the possibility. Not sure he would have gotten along with Ms. Kyle, Public Defender half as well as he'd gotten along with her on the Motocross race circuit. While she'd come to the sport later than the other drivers, she had demanded and earned respect from the other drivers right from the start. Sometimes it was still hard to realize that the two were the same person. Even after of all these years of racing alongside Kira.

"Umm, yeh. And the bright side would have been what, exactly?"

Kira shrugged, "At least you'd've had a competent lawyer."

"Gee, thanks."

Jebb and Kira were still teasing and picking with one another when Jesse returned from Bo's room at the same time J.D. Hogg arrived at the hospital. The pudgy commissioner made his way over to Jesse when he saw him.

"Oh, Jesse. I just heard about Bo. I'm truly sorry. And don't you worry about his hospital bill. I'll have the whole thing sent to me."

"That's right ki-"

"That won't be necessary, Hogg. I'll take care of my brother's bill. You'll have to find some other way to salve your guilty conscience," Kira boomed as her eyes flashed at the sight of the man responsible for her family's kidnapping. Even if only indirectly.

Before Jebb's eyes he saw Kira transform from the old friend that he'd spent the last hour picking around with into the cold, frigid even, lawyer who was rumored to have ice in her veins.

Kira walked over to Boss and began to speak to him in a tone so low that he couldn't hear her. Something that she usually only did when she was angry. He knew that Kira felt that Hogg had been behind the kidnapping, and in some way, he might have had a part in it. But right now, Jebb was glad that he wasn't in Boss's shoes.

Jesse was closer than Jebb and while he could only catch a word or two that went astray, he could tell that Kira was trying to get J.D. to tell her exactly what his part in the kidnapping had been. And whatever she was saying to him, it was causing his frienemy to cast about the room with a look of true fear reflecting in his eyes.

"Kira," Jesse called to her in the tone that usually made his boys stop and take notice. No matter how angry they were. He had used that same tone many times to get his boys to back down while angrily facing the commissioner over one misdeed or another, especially Bo. "That's enough."

Bo's twin, however, ignored the patriarch as she grilled the crooked politician in white. Finally, Boss seemed to give in and tell her what she wanted. Jesse heard J.D. croak out a single word.

"Townsend."

"What!" At last, Jesse could clearly hear Kira's response. With that, Kira moved closer to the bald man and pinned him up against the wall without even touching him.

Jesse saw Boss look at him as if asking for help. "Kira! I said that's enough."

He'd always been able to rein in the younger Dukes before. No matter what he'd ever done, or what had come as a result of his actions, Jesse Duke could always be counted on to strap a leash on his kids once tempers flared. But for once, it looked like Jesse couldn't help Boss escape the burning rage of a Duke; because this Duke hadn't been raised with the others. While she respected the eldest of the family, he was still very much a stranger to her in most aspects. Not to mention she had no upbringing to push her to obey anyone. So now Jefferson Davis Hogg looked into a Duke's eyes that reflected utter hatred and for the very first time he could remember, he was truly scared of a Duke.

Jebb looked on and saw as his uncle repeatedly tried to calm Kira down. Not wanting the situation to escalate any further, he walked over and firmly put a hand around Kira's arm. When she stiffened and looked at him, he'd half expected Kira to take a swing at him. Instead, she turned her gaze back to Boss for one last verbal jab.

"One more thing, Hogg; know this. If by some cruel twist of fate, you one day do succeed in taking the farm. I promise you I'll bury you in so much litigation that the only thing you'll ever be able to use that property for is as a landmark."

With that, Kira shook Jebb's hand off her arm and stormed out of the hospital; leaving two Dukes and one Hogg staring after her in baffled confusion in regard to her outburst.

Kira returned to the hospital a while later after she got her temper back under control. She figured that Hogg would be gone by now. Plus, she really wanted to see Bo before she had to head out, too. Walking into Bo's room, she found Luke reading a Mopar magazine while Bo was sound asleep once again in his hospital bed. It figured that he'd be asleep when she really needed to leave. Kira grinned to herself at the thought. Well, at least he can't get into any trouble while asleep. Or can he?

Looking up, Luke said, "You can try to wake him if you want but I doubt you'll succeed. They gave him something to knock him out."

"That's okay. I'll just bug em later on instead." Kira gave Luke a wink letting him know just how she'd bug Bo. "I didn't see any of the others out there when I came in. They go back to the farm?"

"Yeh. Chores, ya know. Jebb called home and told his folks that he'd be helping out while Bo's here. Especially since the staff insisted that we keep someone here after he tried to leave earlier."

"And the fact that this just happens to coincide with the sleigh ride that Pauline helped arrange in Placid didn't hurt none to help Jebb make such a selfless gesture to help out. Huh? Especially since Pauline promised Mary Ellen what's-her-name that Jebb would be her date." Kira laughed as she remembered Jebb talking about Pauline's latest matchmaking ploy.

"How'd you know?"

"We had plenty of time to talk while scouring all of Hazzard looking for ya'll over the weekend. You'd better be counting your lucky stars that you and Bo live too far for her to meddle too much in ya'lls love-lives. She'd have ya both married off in a matter of months."

Luke shuddered slightly as he thought of the possibility of his aunt trying to pick a wife for him.

That only amused Kira even more. "Scary thought ain't it?"

"That ain't quite strong enough of a word for it," Luke deadpanned. "Now I can't help but be grateful for the fact that she pushed my uncle to move to Placid where her family lives."

Laughing, Kira added, "Well it looks like Pauline is settling for running her son's life for right now. Heaven help him."

"Maybe we should send him home with some special lemonade from Thanksgiving to help him get through Christmas," Luke added while laughing, referring to the incident with the moonshine the last time Kira had been down in Hazzard. She had dyed the whiskey with food coloring causing the guys to all get a kick out of it when the older Dukes eyes bugged out at seeing the yellow liquid.

"Couldn't hurt. Not with Pauline around." Kira shook her head at the thought of how Jebb could have survived so long with a mother like his without going nuts. His father must be a saint is all she could figure.

"Not to change the subject here or anything, but what was that about I heard about you and Boss earlier?"

Jesse and Jebb had filled Luke in on the incident once Boss had left. Of course, that was only after his uncle had calmed the commissioner down considerably after his run in with the newest of the clan.

Kira just shrugged her shoulders; she knew that despite everything that had happened, Luke would defend Hogg so there wasn't much point in getting into it over the weasel who had put her brother in the hospital with his scheming to take the farm.

"Just had a nice friendly conversation is all." After looking at her oldest cousin, she saw he was about to push further. She could tell by the look in his eyes. "Since Bo's knocked out, I should head on out. I've got court in the morning, and I have to go in to go back over my statement with the police before that so it's gonna be a busy morning."

"I thought they already took your statement. They've talk to all of us. They didn't say anything about havin' to go over it again with us."

"Yeh, well, that's probably because ya'll didn't shoot anyone."

"What?" Luke shouted out, then instantly caught himself as he looked back at a drugged Bo to see if he had woken him up. Then in a quieter tone, "What do you mean? You shot someone?"

Kira shrugged her shoulders, "I figured Jebb and Daisy already told you. Don't worry; I only shot the guard's arm. And don't look at me like that. It was that or be shot, myself. I don't know about you, but I happen to be allergic to bullets."

"Obviously I need to talk to the others about holding out." Giving her a critical look, Luke asked, "You sure you're alright?"

Kira rolled her eyes as he asked, though a small part of her had to admit that it was nice to know someone actually cared enough to ask.

"Yeh, fine. But I really do need to get out on the road." Looking over at a sleeping Bo, Kira added, "You just keep a watch on my brother, and I'll make sure yours gets in nice and safe when I pick him up at the airport Saturday."

Judd Kaine, Luke's brother, hadn't been able to get an earlier flight for Christmas, pushing his arrival to the day before Christmas Eve. Since they were both coming in from Atlanta, it made no sense for Judd to rent a vehicle and the two drive in separately, so Kira had volunteered to pick Judd up at the airport.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Luke said as he filed away the need to ask the others just exactly what had happened after he and Jesse had gotten Bo out of the mine shaft. "Keep it between the ditches, ya hear."

"Will do," Kira responded while making a hasty retreat before Luke could rethink about letting the shooting incident go. Had she known that Luke hadn't been told about it already, she certainly wouldn't have.

The week passed slowly for Kira. She met with the State Police, went over her statement enough to memorize it. She was cleared of any wrongdoing then re-issued her small pistol, after providing the proper concealed weapons permits, and went about her life as normally as she could. Try as she might, though, she couldn't stand not doing anything about her family's kidnapping. She, of course, passed on what Hogg had told her about Townsend's involvement (of which Hogg was questioned about). Unfortunately, Hogg wasn't as dumb as he looked. He knew very well what could happen if he squealed on Townsend.

Townsend could have made Capone look like a choir boy. And since all they had was hearsay, no evidence at all, it looked like William Townsend would remain officially unconnected to the case. The guards that had been captured had all clammed up, too. Even when offered a deal of leniency, they each refused to speak up about whom they worked for.

On Wednesday, Kira got Jebb when she called the farm. He informed her that while checking on things out in the fields, he and Jesse had found sections of the east forty torn up as if someone had been doing some digging out there recently. That got Kira to thinking. Sitting at her desk, she called Tanya in. She had a job for her.

"I want you to pull every case file you can on William Townsend and those connected. I need to look over them."

Tanya blanched at Kira. "That's a lot of cases. You mind me asking just what you need them for. You're not likely to be representing him anytime soon."

"Let's just say I'm looking for a new hobby and couldn't think of a more boring one than reading old case files, okay? I'll need as many as you can get before the end of the day. You can keep pulling them when you're not working on anything else."

Tanya was a flake when it came to her personal life but was an excellent legal aid. Kira had several files to take home with her within a matter of hours. So many in fact that it was difficult to decide on where to start.

Choosing one at random, Kira began the tedious task of scouring the old files for any clue that could point toward previous incidents such as the one that had transpired at the Duke Farm the previous week. She had known many facts of some of the past cases, but she was still surprised by some of the others that she found. With each case, Kira learned just how lucky the others were to still be alive. She sincerely hoped that whatever Townsend's people had been looking for out on the farm, that they had found it. She didn't want there to be any reason for there to be any return visits.

For the next couple of days, Kira set up a pattern of calling out to the farm each morning, going to court, checking in with Bo at lunch, then back to court she'd go. As soon as court let out for the day, she would spend the rest of the day (and much of the night) going over the case files that Tanya had found and brought for her. She barely noticed when a meal went uneaten and sleep wasn't exactly a top priority either. In fact, Friday night, she didn't go home at all.

She must have fallen asleep sometime after two in the morning, though, still at her desk. She woke up to the growl of her stomach the next morning around eight. She hurriedly packed up her desk and went home for a quick shower, a change of clothes, and a quicker meal. Soon it was time to head out to the airport to pick up Judd. She finished packing her things together and headed out the door for her first family Christmas in Hazzard.