Chapter 18

It was just after noon when Daisy stepped on the porch and called to Bo, "Lunch is ready."

'Lunch.' Bo thought. Now he knew something was wrong. There was no way Jesse and Luke would be late for lunch if Luke was out of court and surely they weren't still in court. Bo pushed himself to his feet and headed toward the old farmhouse. Bo had just hit the porch when he heard a familiar sound.

Daisy stopped dead in her tracks as she also heard Jesse's truck. She turned just in time to see Bo break into a run. He was heading to meet Jesse, and Luke, but the trouble with that was what Daisy hadn't wanted to think about. She could just now make out that Uncle Jesse was alone in the pickup. Daisy was now forced to think of the possibility that Luke may not be back home for a year. Before she could wrap her mind around that thought she saw Bo as he now realized that Luke was not in the truck.

Bo stopped dead in his tracks for a split second when he realized Luke was not with Jesse. As Jesse came to a complete stop Bo was beside the truck demanding "How could you let them do it?"

Jesse knew where Bo's mind had taken him. He now believed the worse had happened. Jesse tried to open his mouth to explain to Bo what was going on but Bo was too quick.

"Uncle Jesse YOU can't let them lock Luke up for a whole YEAR!" With that thought in mind Bo hauled off and punched the fender of the old truck much like Luke had punched Ralph. Trouble was the truck fender didn't give much under Bo's hand. As the pain shot up his closed fist through his wrist and into his arm all Bo could do at that point was cradle his now throbbing wrist and set down Indian style in the middle of the driveway.

Seeing this, Daisy ran off the porch toward Bo.

"Fool Kids!" Jesse exclaimed as he made his way around the truck hoping to check on Bo's wrist. "Let me see." Jesse said to Bo as he reached to support Bo's arm.

Bo protectively cradled the wrist tighter and managed to get, "Can't."

Firmly Jesse said, "Son, it's me or Doc."

Bo was still rocking back and forth from the pain, "Give it a second." As he bit his lip he was hoping the pain would lessen at least some. Looking over at his now squatting uncle with tears in his eyes he said again, "How could you let them lock Luke up?"

Jesse seen the pain in his younger nephews eyes both from the injury as well as from what he thought had happened to Luke. Jesse hoped to ease at least on of the fool kid's pains, "Firstly, it's not as bad as you are assuming. Remember, I always tell you two to never assume because it ends up making an 'A-' out of 'U' and 'Me'."

Bo said, "But Luke ain't with you. He's been saying he could go to jail for a year. If he ain't with you then, ..."

Jesse looked Bo in the eye and said, "Yes, he's in jail. But your mind was only letting yourself hear parts of what both Luke and I have been telling you."

Bo looked up with surprise and for the first time was able to listen to his uncle without jumping to conclusions or blocking out the parts he had been unwilling to listen to since this nightmare had began for Luke and himself.

Jesse explained, "Son, you missed one little but important phrase in what Luke and I have been trying to tell you." Jesse paused, "The phrase was 'up to' ..." Jesse put it all together for his hurting nephew, "As in 'Up to a year'."

Bo nodded, "But he's not with you, and is in jail,..."

Jesse nodded that Bo was correct in his thinking so far, then said, "For ten days."

Daisy immediately let out the breath she had been holding since she seen Luke wasn't with their uncle. "Oh, WOW!"

"Ten DAYS?" Bo questioned, "TEN DAYS?"

Daisy smiled, "Only ten days?"

Jesse confirmed, "Yes, ten days." Not that he was happy at having Luke gone for ten days, but in his and Daisy's mind ten days was surely better than a year.

"What?" Bo exclaimed, "Ten days and ya'll are happy about it?"

Jesse held up his hand to stop Daisy before she could respond, "Look, Son. No we aren't 'happy' about it and I'm sure that Luke ain't either, but it could have been far worse."

Still holding his painful wrist, Bo said, "Remember when Luke and me caught that raccoon and wanted to raise it because you had brought one home the summer before to nurse back to health?"

Jesse nodded 'yes'.

"Well, Uncle Jesse you said it wasn't right to keep a wild thing in a cage and you made us set it free." Bo paused. "Uncle Jesse you can't let them lock Luke up in a cage either." He added with a loud sniff.

"Bo, that baby coon wasn't hurt and didn't need nursing. It also hadn't done anything wrong. Luke on the other hand, ... went out of here and broke a several laws. I don't like it no more that you or Luke himself, but you three have got to learn that when ya'll was little I made you tow the line and if you didn't I punished you. Now, you three are becoming adults, if you break laws it won't only be me making sure that you are punished and learn a lesson from your actions but Rosco, his men, Judge Hardcastle and an entire host of others, who have been watching Luke since he turned eighteen, and I assure you that they will be watching you two a bit closer when you and Daisy turn eighteen." Jesse reached again for Bo's arm, "Now can I have a look?"

"You can, Uncle Jesse." Bo said through the pain, "But, I think we'll be making a trip back to town."

Jesse checked Bo's fingers, wrist and arm. He as well as Bo pretty much figured he had broken at least one bone in his right arm below his elbow. "Let's get going. Daisy just, ..."

"Oh, no. I'm going too." The young girl insisted.

Not having the heart to deny her, Jesse only nodded as he helped Bo into the pickup.

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Dressed in only socks, underwear and a bright orange coverall type jumpsuit, with 'Hazzard County' and a 'P' all in large black letters on the back Luke stepped inside the open cell door and again before he knew what was happening Rosco had closed the door with a loud 'clang' followed by the unmistakable 'click' of the cell door locking behind him. The sound of the tumblers locking was unnerving to Luke. There it was again the shiver that ran from Luke's head to his toes and back again. He looked at the six by eight foot area. His half of the room he shared with Bo was bigger.

Rosco was jabbering and giggling about something as he opened the lower gate and headed up to turn over the jail to Peggy who had agreed to help him while he had 'prisoners'.

Luke hadn't heard anything Rosco said and was grateful, as he knew it would likely have only pissed him off far more than he was at the moment. He shoved his hands into the pockets of the coveralls and tried to convince himself that ten days was a far better outcome than a year. Luke still had a lump in his throat as he forced himself to think about ten days being forced to remain in this small room, maybe cage was a better word to describe the cement floor and ceiling, the cinder block outer two walls with only a small window that contained steel bars with steel bars 3/4 inch thick bars between the two cells and on the front of the doored front of the cell. The only 'open' space was a three inch by ten inch slot with a small shelf in the cell door that let food trays and other items in the cell or allowed the person in the cell to have handcuffs applied before the door was opened. Luke took full advantage in the fact that he was alone in downstairs to take a deep breath and finally let it all the way out in relief of the out come. He knew that by no means was his situation 'good' but also that he could be in far deeper than he was now. Being that he was alone, he couldn't help just once checking the barred door to see if it was indeed locked. Luke gave it a firm shake and found that it was far better built than most things here in Hazzard. He half wonder what he would have done had the door gave at his push.

It was June and the summer heat was making it's self known all over Hazzard and the South, but standing here in socked feet, the coolness of the cement and steel sank in and sent chills through out Luke's red blooded body. Then the thoughts began forming in his mind: He was a red blooded southern young man. He had been 'active' for the better part of two years. The last time he and Robin had done anything but argue was Easter break, since then he had managed to be with a couple 'easy targets'. Last weekend was graduation, before that was prom and he had driven the wrecker for Cooter, the weekend before that was when he'd been arrested. Luke could easily figure that he'd already been two weeks without any affection and was sure to have to wait at least another ten days. Twenty four days! That was the longest that he would have been 'without' since he had became 'active'. Luke felt his underwear begin to feel overly tight already and the door behind him hadn't been locked a full half hour yet! Luke sighed. He knew this sort of thinking was only making matters worse.

Luke walked to the small barred window and tried to clear his head. Thinking back to the race that had started this chain of events; maybe racing Ralph hadn't been such a good idea. Luke had known before they ever lined up that he could beat Ralph, it had been nothing more than foolish pride that had caused him accept Ralph's challenge and again to engage in the fight after Ralph had called him a cheat, but those were fighting words. Luke looked around at the mess his foolish pride had gotten him into. He was not near as pleased with himself as he had been when he beat Ralph in the race. Luke watched as Peggy came through the downstairs gate, relocked it, picked up a second set of keys that were hanging on the wall, and took a seat a the desk to go over Rosco's paperwork.

The keys had been unnoticed by Luke until Peggy put them in her pocket. He was really not sure what he would have done had he seen them sooner. They had been so close and so far away hanging on the peg on the wall at the other side of the cell beside him. Luke shook his head at how amazing how far away six feet could be.

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Upstairs Rosco was in his glory as Judge Hardcastle found Ralph Green guilty of his charges and sentenced him to the same ten days.

The Judge figure that the two might just work out their differences if they were 'forced' to spend some time together. If so, maybe a repeat visit could be avoided. He looked at the second young man before him today and said, "Mr. Green I hope that you understand that the sentencing was far less than it could have been. I sincerely hope that you and Mr. Duke can work out your differences, because as I told him, I may not be so understanding the next time that I see you two. For the record, once you are released your drivers license will be revoked for 15 days. Should you be caught driving during that time, you will go to jail from 30 days to up to six months. Ralph Green, you are hereby ordered into the custody of the Hazzard County Sheriff to complete out your sentence."

Ralph could think of a hundred smart remarks but the Judge cut him off.

"Sheriff, I understand you only have three cells. A holding cell upstairs and the two downstairs. I suggest that you keep open your holding cell and use the two more secure cells downstairs." Judge Hardcastle suggested, then added before Rosco could say anything, "If either of these boys give you or Peggy any trouble, any at all, you call me. I'll make a special trip to get to the bottom of it. I'll also be by from time to time in the next couple days to check on these two's rehabilitation."

Ralph couldn't believe it, they were going to put both him and Luke downstairs. Even though he hadn't seen the downstairs before he couldn't believe his luck. Looked like things could be a bit interesting after all.

NARRATOR: A bit interesting? I'm not sure about you all but I don't think I want to go to the refrigerator now!

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Thanks for reading and reviewing! Also, thanks to Bethie88 and BL Davenport who have added a few lines along the way and let me bounce ideas off them. Also, here is a note about Peggy that should have went with last chapter. Hope you all are enjoying. Let me know with your reviews. Hope to post again sooner if 'life' slows down a bit.

NOTE: (Being an Ex-Correctional Officer by trade I had to 'improve' Rosco's 'cuff & stuff' routine a little. Also, the correctional officer here may talk more freely than I ever would, as Hazzard is a small town, where everyone knows everyone. I took the liberty of making the following change...) When there was going to be a commitment in the county jail for longer than just over night, they would call to the Tri-County Jail for a 'Jailor' to meet them at the Courthouse. Being only one man, Rosco could not leave a 'prisoner' alone and patrol too.