Thanks to Bethie88 who took a bit of a 'vacation' here in Hazzard with us for this chapter. She largely helped me with a 16 YO Bo's feelings in this chapter. To give her credit for her time and effort her parts are in bold. This should let it stand out but not be too distracting. Thanks again for reading and to those that review.
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Chapter 3
Jesse saw the questions in Bo and Daisy's eyes as he took a deep breath and prepared himself to answer them while also attempting to control his own emotions about the situation.
Before Jesse got a chance to start to explain, Bo spoke up. "Uncle Jesse, what's wrong? Where's Luke?"
Jesse raised his eyebrows at his blonde nephew. "Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute, Bo..."
Bo had already started off on a tangent, and there was no stopping him now. "Uncle Jesse," he said, noting the worry in his Uncle's eyes. "Luke didn't come home, did he? Is he all right?" And before Jesse got a chance to answer, Bo was back down the hall looking for his jeans and his set of truck keys. He was gonna go to town and find Luke.
"Luke?" Daisy questioned and looked around. "He's not home?"
Jesse put his hand up to stop her before she got too excited. "Bo get back here." His voice wasn't loud but left no room questioning him.
Bo came back jeans one hand and keys in the other.
Jesse gave them both a look as he pulled out his chair. "Set down both of you. No, Daisy, Luke is not home. That was Rosco........"
His sentence never got finished as Bo butted in again. "Rosco? Uncle Jesse, did Luke have a wreck? Is he hurt?"
Jesse stared at his nephew in momentary shock that anybody could put that many words into the amount of time that Bo had just crammed them into. "Luke is fine." His tone was firm.
Daisy gasped at the thoughts Bo had just put in her head.
"Luke is fine." Jesse repeated, then added almost as a whisper, "Least wise until I get him home." Then he began again, "That was Rosco calling to tell me that Luke won't be home tonight......" He saw the confusion in Daisy's eyes but both of his kids held their peace for now anyway. Jesse continued, "He's fine but in jail."
"In JAIL?" Bo demanded. "What on earth for?"
"Now, Bo, just simmer down JUST a minute," Jesse began.
"Uncle Jesse, why is Luke in jail?" Daisy asked, much more meekly than her cousin.
Jesse paused. If they'd slow down just minute, he'd have the chance to tell them and said as much. "If you two would slow down just a minute I'd tell ya."
"Slow down! I ain't got time to slow down, Uncle Jesse. We got to go get him." Bo said as he put his jeans and boots on while still standing in the kitchen.
"Bo!" Jesse said in a no nonsense tone. "There is no point in going to town tonight. Luke is there until he sees Judge Hardcastle tomorrow morning."
Bo's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Uncle Jesse, we gotta get him out of there one way or another... It ain't right!"
Daisy was inclined to agree with Bo's assessment, but wasn't nearly as loud as her cousin. "Uncle Jesse, why can't we go get him out? I feel just awful thinkin' about poor Luke stuck in jail all night..."
Bo nodded in agreement, already headed toward the door. "I'll get him out if I have to blow the door off the cell myself!"
"Beauregard!" Jesse said sternly. "Set down."
Daisy nearly ducked just at Jesse's tone of voice.
Hearing his full name was enough to slow Bo down a bit. He turned to his uncle, but raised his chin in defiance. "I don't mean no disrespect to ya, Uncle Jesse, but I'm goin' to get Luke."
Jesse said low and calm, "No you are not, Bo. You are going to set down right there and listen to me."
Bo knew enough to fear that tone as much as, if not more than, the loud one Jesse had used before. He didn't like it, but the blonde sat down besides his cousin, and looked up at his uncle.
Jesse said, "Rosco had to do his job, he got a call and had no choice but to arrest Luke."
"What was Luke doin'?" Bo asked, his tone much subdued from before.
"According to Rosco he got a report of racin' up by the lake. When he got there Luke was in a fight and had been racing." Jesse didn't want to tell the rest of it at least until he talked to Luke. He added, "This isn't as simple as it used to be Bo. Rosco can't just pick Luke up and call me to come get him anymore. There is now a legal process he has to go through before he come home now."
Bo was confused. "Why not, Uncle Jesse? We all get in fights sometimes... We ain't never got in that much trouble before."
Jesse took a deep breath and tried to think how to explain all this. "I've always taught you two that fightin' was wrong, but just like racin' off track it is illegal too."
Daisy looked really worried, "Luke won't have to stay in jail will he Uncle Jesse?"
Bo hadn't even thought of that possibility and said, "No, Daisy!" then he looked at Jesse, "Will he?"
Jesse saw two sets of very innocent eyes looking at him for answers. "Luke and me have talked. He knew to mind his "P's" and "Q's" after he turned 18. I told him Rosco was looking for a way to arrest him, but it looks like he didn't have to look too far tonight. As for staying in jail, ....." Jesse sighed, "What happened tonight is still pretty minor stuff, but that doesn't mean that it's not gonna cost a bit to get Luke home on bond until his court date."
Bo and Daisy looked at each other in shock. "Uncle Jesse!" Bo exclaimed. "We don't have that kinda money... I mean, we do all right, but there ain't a lot of extra."
Daisy turned to her uncle. "I can pick up extra shifts at the Boar's Nest if it'll help..."
Bo nodded. "And I can ask Miz Tizdale if there's any work in town... She always seems to know all the odd jobs around..."
Jesse replied, "I got some money put back and after Luke goes to court I'll get it back. Then, he'll likely have to come up with a nice fine for his actions. That is if he's lucky."
"Lucky?" Daisy asked, "What do you mean?"
Bo frowned not liking what Jesse was saying.
"With Luke's charges after he goes to court, ......." Jesse began.
Bo looked confused for a moment before he caught Jesse's meaning. "You don't mean Luke could end up doin' time, Uncle Jesse?"
Tears filled Daisy's eyes at the thought, as she turned to her uncle, hoping he would firmly deny the possibility of Luke spending time in the pokey.
Jesse continued as he tried to 'sugar coat' the truth a bit, "As I said before, the charges aren't that serious but if he is guilty of breaking the law the possibility of him being away a spell is there."
"What do you mean 'a spell in there'?" Bo exclaimed. "Why, he shouldn't even be in there tonight... Fightin' may be illegal, but heck, Luke ain't never fought nobody didn't deserve it..."
Jesse wouldn't deny Bo was pretty much right on Luke usually fighting only those who as he said 'deserved' it but said, "That may be, but it still don't change the facts -- Luke broke the law. First by fighting, before that he had been racing, and then there was, ............"
Daisy said shyly seeing that Jesse had obviously said more than he wanted to, "Was what Uncle Jesse?"
Bo frowned, "Uncle Jesse what aren't you tellin' us?"
Jesse wasn't sure of the exact penalties for the charges that Luke had been charged with or for that matter Luke's side of any of them, but in his mind the fact that his oldest had been charged with Driving Under the Influence was not a good message to his younger two charges. Moonshine, its making, selling, delivery and even its drinking had been part of the Dukes heritage for two hundred years, yet drinking and driving was an issue that Jesse had frowned on since the boys started driving, even before they had their licenses. Jesse had been working with Luke for a couple of years to teach him the skills needed to be a ridge runner. He had even worked with Daisy and Bo on their drivin' skills. Luke had even made a couple of local solo deliveries with Jesse 'shadowing' him and had done well. Of his three 'kids' Luke worried Jesse. Maybe it was his age, maybe it was a stage he was going through, but the boy had a 'wild' side. It was only equal to one that Jesse had seen before at that age and it was no more becoming on Luke that it had been on Luke's daddy. Jesse feared that Luke's 'wild streak' could get much worse.
"Uncle Jesse?" Daisy said a bit louder than normal.
Jesse was brought back from his thoughts by his girls worried voice. "Sorry ya'll I was just thinking."
"Is there something you ain't telling us, Uncle Jesse?" Daisy nearly pleaded.
"There is something I need to hear Luke's side of first. It maybe only Rosco talking out of his hat so I'll leave that alone until I talk to Luke." Jesse checked the clock on the wall. The phone had rang at two in the morning. It was now three and five would come around soon, but not likely soon enough for any of the Dukes, "It's late. Off to bed with you two and I want you two to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for us all." Jesse say the protests. "I mean it. Off with you two." He said as he ushered them to their rooms. Jesse knew neither would sleep anymore than he would but at least they might get some rest.
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Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. Let us know by your reviews. Thanks again for reading.