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Chapter 50

At the Murphy home, Mrs. Murphy was still mortified by what she had heard about her daughter's actions the night before. Her daughter had been drinking, unclothed and arrested the night before. She had learned that her daughter may very well indeed have to go back to jail. Mrs. Murphy just couldn't imagine what had gotten into her daughter, surely it had something to do with that Duke girl she had been hanging around.

"Charlene, you have one and only one chance to explain to your father and me what went on last night." Mrs. Murphy said.

Charlene wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that, "What's there to explain that you didn't hear in court?"

Her father jumped in, "First off, were you drinking?"

"A little." Charlene replied.

"What was it that you were drinking?" He asked.

Charlene replied quietly, "Beer."

Reverend Murphy said, "Haven't I warned you of the evils of drinking?"

"Yes, Daddy." Charlene replied automatically.

"Now what was this about you being undressed for 'sexual gratification'?" Charlene's father asked.

Charlene replied, "We were just swimming, Daddy."

01~~~~~~~~~01

After the very late, cold dinner at the Duke farm in Placid County, John Duke picked up the keys to his wife's Chrysler. He said to Karen, "Clean up in here for your mother. We'll be back in awhile."

Karen nodded. She knew she was in too deep to argue about watching the girls and cleaning the house. "Yes, Daddy."

Pauline nearly did a double take. Usually Karen had something to say back to her about anything she was asked to do.

John put his hand on Pauline's waist as they started out to the car, only to have her pull away from him. It was clear that Karen, wasn't the only one in 'trouble' tonight, but John expected no less. He'd been there before and still managed to be here tonight. It had just been awhile since he was in this deep with his wife. John seen how the moon was nearly full so he headed up toward the lake. As he watched the sky, he figured that the next wide spot up by the lake would give them a good view of the moon and the lake even from the car, so John edged the car off the road way in the wide spot. The car should be only barely seen from the road the way he had managed to park. He shut the car's engine off as both adults heard the sound of the crickets and whippoorwills.

John reached out for his wife.

"Don't!" Pauline said firmly.

This may be a bit harder that John remembered. "Pauline, I'm sorry."

"Care to clarify that?" Pauline spat.

"Alright. Look. First off all this, well most of this is my fault. I know that, so you don't have to tell me that." John started. He felt like he had to go all the way back to the beginning to clear the air between Pauline and himself. "Secondly, I wasn't thinking about you havin' not seen Doc yet, until you told me. I was a bit too far gone to stop at that point, or care. Since then, you have been moody, unreasonable, ..."

Pauline had been quiet far too long, "John Dav-id DUKE, how dare you tell ME, that I've been unreasonable! It wasn't YOU who had to walk around big as a HOUSE carrying twins only a few months ago!"

"I know that. I also know that I told you the other night that another baby or two, would be fine with me, ..." John was again cut off.

"Fine with YOU. FINE! Well, MR. it had better be FAR more that FINE with YOU!" Pauline nearly yelled.

'Oh, God.' John thought, 'She's already found out she IS pregnant, again.' The sensation of someone pouring ice water in his lap was John's reaction to THAT thought, "Pauline, Darlin', ..." John knew that now was NOT the time to tell her he'd been regretting the timing of their last love making session a lot more than he had indicated at the time.

"Don't you DARE, 'Pauline, Darlin'.' ME, John DAVID!" Pauline said loudly.

John was trying to think and was failing miserably. He'd went to talk to Jesse on Saturday. He knew she wouldn't have went to the Doctor with the twins and Karen was going out. Today was Sunday and Doc wasn't in on Sundays except for emergencies. "Pauline, have you been to see Doc yet?"

Pauline Duke wasn't one to cry, but right now she was so mad she couldn't help it. "I, ..." (sniff) "don't have, ..." (sniff) "ta, ... see, ..." (sniff) "Dooocccccc, ... to, ..." (sniff) "Kknnnooowwwwww." Pauline lost any and all control that she had so been trying to for far too long.

Somehow that knowledge made John feel a bit better, as he reached out for his wife. He took Pauline in his arms, pulled her onto his lap and just held her. John let her cry until his shirt was soaking wet. He knew it wasn't just the fact that she thought she could be or was pregnant. No, he knew it was far more. Twice in as many weeks he'd made her worry about where he was in the wee hours of the morning. Last night he hadn't made it home at all because he had felt the 'need' to prove something to that turnip brain. Then today she'd been ran through the mill with Karen, while all the while taking care of the twins. Then he got home over four hours later than she needed him too.

It was a long time in coming but John finally got Pauline calmed down, wiped her tears away, then kissed her deeply, "I'm sorry." John said again, then began kissing Pauline's tears away.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

In her parents absence, Karen made one quick phone call to Danny's house. She was glad that he picked up the phone, "Danny look, this is Karen. Do you know Frank's father left him in jail?"

Danny was surprised to here from Karen again, but again this soon, "I figured you would be grounded for life by now."

"I likely am, but no one else is home. Look if you and the others can do anything I got thirty bucks to help get him out. My bedroom is on the top floor, around back third window on the right. I got to go now or I'm dead if they get back home." Karen said quickly then hung up as Emma woke up. "Come on Emma let's get you a nice bath."

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

In Hazzard, true to his word, Jesse brought a quart of moonshine when he came back int he house. He took his chair across from where Luke was in the recliner with his eyes closed. Jesse wasn't sure but he didn't think Luke was asleep as he sat watching his breathing. One thing was sure it was a far cry better that it had been that morning. "Luke." Jesse said easily.

Luke opened his eyes. "I'm awake, Uncle Jesse." He grimaced as he changed positions a bit.

"Here, son, this should make you feel a might better and get some rest." Jesse said.

"Thanks." Luke said as he sat up to take a healthy sip.

Jesse warned, "Go easy on that. It's to help you rest and take the pain, not for your enjoyment."

"Yes, Sir." Luke replied.

Jesse was glad that Luke was able to talk at least in short sentences now. It looked like his breathing had improved throughout the day. "The others are on the porch and should be in directly. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be up a spell."

Luke knew that meant that Jesse was heading to bed, likely to read his Bible, but would be available to any of 'his' kids who needed him. "Yes, Sir. Goodnight, ... Uncle Jesse."

"Night, Luke." Jesse said as he turned out the lamp on his table.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Trooper Anderson was driving through Placid County with Trooper Mitchell on patrol. "Any place you want to check out tonight?"

Mitchell replied, "You're driving."

Several minutes later the younger Trooper took a cut off the main road.

"This is the way to the lake. Why are we heading up there?" Mitchell asked.

Anderson replied, "The last time we went up here we got eight arrests."

To Mitchell's way of thinking they had only gotten a headache and a lot of paperwork, but replied, "All right."

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Pauline stopped John. There was a few things he needed to answer for her. She had to know. "John David the other night you said you went to help Jesse, but where were you last night?"

John knew she wouldn't like the answer, but the truth was likely far better than anything her mind had been telling her all night. "Truth." John sighed, "I went to talk to Jesse. We met near the county line, talked for awhile and on my way home I stopped at the local bar there thinking that Jeb may be there."

"What? What do you mean that Jeb MAY be there. At a BAR? What on Earth would my boy be doing at a bar?" Pauline was off on another tangent.

John replied, "Daisy works there. You know that. I saw her car there and thought maybe Jeb may come by with Bo and Luke, ..."

"This is worse than I thought. Not only is Jeb going to bars, but going with Luke who just spent time in jail for fighting. John David you know that none of those kids are old enough to be in a bar. Luke may be eighteen but you see where it got him." Pauline ranted.

"Pauline the fight Luke was in wasn't even in the bar," John reminded, then continued, "I didn't say that Bo or Jeb ever showed up there. I said I stopped to see if they were there. While I was waiting to see if the boys showed up I was at the bar." John held up his hand to hush her. He knew without hearing from the that she didn't approve of him drinking. He wasn't in the mood for a lecture on the evils of alcohol. "As I was getting ready to leave, someone you may remember, noticed me. Steve Campbell."

"Steve? What was he doing in a place like that bar?" Pauline asked.

John didn't like Pauline referring to the man by only his first name. Sure they had all went to school at the same time, but it just seemed she knew him a little too well for John to like. "Seems he was there drinking and let his mouth run away with him." John stopped talking and reached for his wallet. He pulled out his bond papers from Hazzard County on the same shade of green paper that Pauline had handed him earlier. Without another word, John handed the paper to Pauline.

Pauline was almost wondering why John was handing her the paper from where Karen had been released from the Placid County jail earlier that day until she saw his name on the paperwork. She looked over to the other side and seen the charge of Fighting and that the paper was from Hazzard County. Shortening his name like she never did unless she was really ticked off, Pauline said, "What? What were you thinking John. I thought you grew out of ALL this about the time Jeb was born."

"I know. I thought I did too. But, really I wasn't thinking. I didn't have time to think. That, ... never mind, said something to me and the next thing I knew he was in the floor." John said.

Pauline looked shocked, "Are you telling me that you started it?"

"No, I'm telling you I finished it." John replied.

"From the sound of it John, the Sheriff finished it not you." Pauline huffed.

John didn't want to argue and he knew she was right, but also knew that this wouldn't be over until he saw the Judge.

Pauline looked mortified, "What will my family think?"

John could really care less what the Loftlins thought of him. Before he could reply, Pauline was at it again.

"Fighting! John I just can't believe you. It wasn't that long ago that Luke was spending time in jail for fighting. John, the kids and I and this farm depend on you." Pauline didn't want to voice her other thoughts for fear that they might just come true, but also needed to talk about her concerns, "John, Jeb is committed to helping Jesse this summer. You saw Karen's paperwork. Heaven forbid she would actually have to spent time in jail, but she could. If you go to jail, that will leave me home alone with the twins for who knows how long. Not to mention, who's gonna run this place? What if I am pregnant again?"

John had ran all those questions through his own mind and they were no easier to answer when Pauline asked them. "Pauline, I've been thinking about that all night. I'm not going to lie to you, I don't have all those answers right now. But, I do know one thing, we've made it together all these years and we'll make it through this too. Trust me, it will work out."

Pauline said in a tired voice, "John David, I'm just not sure I could get through all this alone."

John gave Pauline a smile that had won her over since he met her, "That's why I'm here. I'll make sure everything is taken care of. I promise." John worded that promise carefully. He didn't want to lie and say he would take care of everything, because the truth was, he may not be home to do so. He would do his best to see that everything would be taken care of if he wasn't there. John could hear Pauline starting to sob again and reached out for her.

Pauline let John take her in his arms.

After getting Pauline calmed down once again, John kissed his wife and nuzzled her neck.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Suggestions, comments, ideas are welcome. Thanks, Dixie