Chapter 81

Dawn at the Duke farm in Placid County found the Duke family doing it's best to have a normal morning dispite half the family not there, Pauline having house guests and Jesse not being under his own roof. Jesse had insisted on fixing breakfast for the small group while Daisy and Pauline fed the twin infants. Pauline never let anyone in her kitchen, but had learned long ago not to buck Jesse when he insisted on cooking. Bo had been sent out to help Pauline's brother, Carl with the morning chores.

Once the group had finished their own breakfast, Pauline said, "We should be heading out to the hospital soon."

Jesse knew it was going to be a really long day if Pauline was starting this already, "Pauline, Dr. Greenwood said that there was no point in being there before this afternoon. If it will make you feel better, I'll call and check on the boys." The truth was that Jesse was as worried about Luke and Jeb as Pauline was, but he was trying to keep her on an even keel.

Pauline had wanted to argue with Jesse about going to the hospital, but gave in when he offered to call and check on the boys.

Jesse had called and spoke with one of the on coming nurses on Luke and Jeb's floor, he had been told that they had rested through out the night and that Luke was currently undergoing some breathing exercises. She also advised that Jeb had been taken down to the day room that had been set up for the adolescents in the hospital. She assured the man that both his nephews were getting the best of care and should both be released once the doctor came in this afternoon if no further complications arose.

Jesse thanked the nurse, then began to tell Pauline what he'd learned as he hung up the phone.

Pauline, Daisy and Bo breathed a sigh of relief at hearing the boys were doing better.

"I'm sure glad they are doing alright, now once Karen gets home today and the boys get released things can start getting back to normal." Daisy said as she put the last of the washed dishes in the drainer.

The briefest look was exchanged between Jesse and Pauline. Neither wanted to admit to rest of the family that Karen's release from jail later today had momentarily slipped both their minds in their concern for Luke and Jeb.

Jesse asked, "What time will she be released?"

Pauline replied, "4 o'clock. Jesse the boys?"

Jesse put his hand up to stop Pauline. "Do you have a number for Dr. Greenwood?"

"Yes, yes of course I do. Why?" Pauline asked.

Jesse rubbed the beard on his chin, "Because I know you won't want to stay behind to get Karen and let me go get the boys." One look at Pauline's face told Jesse he was right, no matter how practical the solution would have been. "I also figure that the boys might just need a bit of help getting to the cars, so I'd better be there."

Bo and Daisy exchanged looks. They both knew that neither Pauline nor Jesse would be stopped from going to get the boys.

Bo volunteered, "I could go pick up Karen."

Daisy added, "And I could watch the twins."

Pauline wasn't hearing of it, "There is no way that I'm leaving that girl here after just being released from jail without an adult being here. Why there is no tellin' what sorts of trouble she could get into before I got back home."

Jesse shrugged his shoulders and sent both his kids a silent look of thanks for having offered to help out. Since they couldn't be at two places a couple hours apart at the same time and Jesse knew that there was no way to get Karen released anytime sooner than four o'clock, so he figured that the only thing to do was to call Dr. Greenwood and explain the time conflict to him. He hoped that he could get the boys released a bit earlier so that they would be back in time to pick up Karen at four. "I'll call Doctor Greenwood in a bit and see about getting the boys released sooner than four o'clock."

Jesse was also doing the math about his drive home. Even if they left Tranquil at four o'clock it would still put them back in Hazzard late. He also knew that there was no way Pauline would let him leave with the 'kids' without eating dinner which would make it even later getting home. "Pauline I've been thinking. How would you like to have a house full of guests tonight?"

Pauline replied without even knowing what Jesse was thinking, "Jesse you know my doors are always open to company."

"Well, then I'll just make a couple calls and try to get the farm taken care of until tomorrow morning." Jesse said.

Bo and Daisy were more than a bit surprised. Trying to get Uncle Jesse off their farm for more than a few hours was always difficult at best, now here he was suggesting spending a second night away from home.

"Now you two go out to the track and pick up Pauline's car so we'll have something we can all fit into when the time comes to go get the boys." Jesse said.

"Yes, Sir." Bo and Daisy answered in unison and headed out the door.

Jesse Duke didn't want to be a burden on anyone, so he didn't call the friend he'd called before that took care of the farm, but instead rang the Davenport farm.

Luther answered the phone as he poured his first cup of coffee, "Hazzard Wrecker." By getting a call so early in the morning, Luther figured it was a business call so he answered the phone that way.

"Luther, this is Jesse Duke." Jesse said.

Luther thought it was a bit unusual for Jesse to be calling at this hour, "Jesse, ... what can I do for you?"

Jesse began, "Well you know those boys of mine raced this weekend. Jeb was hurt at the track and Luke took sick while we were at the hospital..."

"Oh, well I hope they are alright." Luther said in concern for his friend's nephews.

Jesse gave his friend a brief update, "Well I've talked to the hospital in Atlanta already this morning and they say that they are both doing better, but it looks like they won't be released until later today. I'm over at John's now. I had the farm taken care of up until this morning, but by the time we'd get on the road tonight it would put us home really late. I just don't think it would be good for Luke to travel that sort of distance all in one trip. I'd like to spend another night here if you could get Cooter to take care of the chores at the farm tonight and in the morning I'd be much obliged."

Luther replied even though he hadn't heard Cooter come in last night, "Sure. I'll get him or one of the boys to take care of everything out there." He opened the curtain on the kitchen door and didn't see Cooter's car. He frowned wondering where that boy of his could be. "Don't you worry none about your place, if they can't take care of it, I'll do it myself."

"Well, now Luther I surely appreciate it and am beholdin' to you." Jesse replied.

"Nonsense. How many times have you all had to cover at the garage or on the wrecker when I've had to be out of town. I owe you and the boys several times over. I just want you to take care of those boys and tell Luke he had better get better fast. I need him on that wrecker." Luther said.

Jesse smiled, "I'll do it. Thanks again."

Luther replied, "Not a problem. Ya'll be careful coming home."

"We will." Jesse replied.

Luther hung up the phone and opened the back door. He stepped out on the porch. There was no sign of Cooter's car. He shrugged his shoulders and figured that something could have happened and Cooter had left the car in town so he made his way up to Cooter's room. Opening the door he found Cooter's bed empty. Luther grumbled to himself but figured that Cooter may have gotten back into town late and had just stayed at the garage last night. He headed off to get ready for a day of work at the garage.

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Cooter had indeed set his alarm clock for two hours before he normally would have if he'd been waking up alone in a motel a short distance from his job. He tried not to wake Beverly as he tried to slide out from under her leg and arm that were wrapped tightly around him.

"Not so fast there Honey." Beverly said as she held on tighter.

"I'm just going to the bathroom. I don't have to leave for awhile yet." Cooter said with a smile.

Beverly smiled up at him, "Good."

Cooter couldn't help but to smile to himself as he headed to the bathroom. He didn't regret for one second missing the race that his friends went to over the weekend. In fact they should all be home now and for that matter so should he and Beverly. He wasn't real sure what his father's reaction to him not being home this morning would be, but he could just about guess what his new father-in-law's reaction would be when he found his daughter not home as expected.

Cooter shaved and washed up, then went back to the main room to finish dressing and get a lunch together from the groceries they had bought yesterday and stored in a cooler. He first put on a pot of coffee, then began to get the bread and lunch meat out.

"Cooter, Honey, what are you doing?" Beverly asked from the bed where she had almost fallen back to sleep before he came back in the room.

"Just fixing some coffee and a lunch." Cooter replied.

Beverly tossed the covers back quickly exposing her nude body, "Oh but no you don't. I'm supposed to do that."

Cooter suddenly forgot anything about fixing his lunch as his wife shooed him away from where he had started his lunch preparation. Cooter sat down on the bed to put his pants and boots on then as he stood and tried to zip his pants he found that his body had other ideas. He readjusted his underwear enough to get his pants to zip as he reached for a shirt of his, "Darlin' you may want to put this on."

"Oh, you don't like what you see here?" Beverly teased.

Cooter let out a slight groan, "Yes, Darlin' I like what I see there, but I have to be at work for my first day on the job soon."

Beverly checked the clock, "You have plenty of time."

The next thing Cooter knew he was back out of his pants and boots and back in the bed.

Beverly wrapped her legs tighter around her husband.

Cooter thought as he eagerly found her mouth with his, 'The only thing I want to do right now is just enjoy our time together.'

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The coffee cart rumbled it's way down the hall just as the cell lights came on in John's cell. He had been awake from habit for sometime now but hadn't moved from his bunk until now. Today was Monday, and his daughter should be back home where she belonged sometime today. Just knowing that fact gave John more relief than if his own cell door had been opened for him to go home. It was a fact that he had never gotten used to this side of the bars, nor was he ever happy about being here on this side of the bars, but just knowing his daughter was in a cell upstairs bothered John to no end.

John made his way to the table to get his coffee, followed by Dean. John had hit Danny's bunk on his way to the table. Danny still hadn't gotten used to getting up at such an early hour, but rolled out of his bunk as he was expected to do by Karen's father.

All the others gathered around except for Green, whom no one would miss at the breakfast table. Danny McCoy took one look at the breakfast tray of biscuits, bacon, eggs and hot cereal. He took a piece of bacon and put it on a biscuit then pushed his tray forward. "Have at it fellas." He said as he took a bite of biscuit and bacon.

Several of the others gave him a questioning look.

Danny explained, "I'm out of here at four today. Help yourselves."

John's eyes met those of the young man's, "I not only expect, but DEMAND, that you be a gentleman around my daughter until I get home. No excuses."

Danny nearly chocked on his bite of bacon biscuit as he swallowed hard, "Yes, Sir."

Dean Carter looked from Danny McCoy to John Duke. Part of him wouldn't want to be in the young mans shoes for anything in this world, but another part of him would have given anything in this world to have taken the man's daughter and lived to tell about it. But, who was he kidding, by the time he got out of this cell she'd likely be already married to the fool across the table from him.

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Upstairs at the jail, the cell lights came on brightly awaking the girls inside. Most of the girls shielded their eyes from the glare, as Sharon and Patty went to the door to get their coffee. After the door was closed the rest of the girls began to get up and head either to the table or the restroom in preparation for the breakfast that should be at the door in the next few minutes.

Karen had gone to the restroom and even though she knew it was too early to know anything yet, every day with out her cycle made her more and more concerned about the possibility of being pregnant. She was still hearing the Judge's warnings about the guys in her head. Karen had at one time actually hoped that Danny liked her, now she couldn't help but wonder if he had only been out to get the one thing that he got and not look back.

When Karen got to the table, the conversation was about what each of the girls planned to do once they got home later today. Jackie said rather frankly, "I plan to meet Frank and find somewhere to go that the police won't show up this time."

Sharon followed her thought pattern. "Yeah, well, ... take a roll in the hay for me too." She bit her lip as she thought about just how long it would be before she would have another chance at such a night.

Patty agreed, "And me too!"

Charlene looked at Jackie, "Surely you aren't planning to go out again with Frank like we did the other night? You remember that we'll all still be on probation for the next six months. Heaven forbid you all get caught again for Indecent Exposure."

"That's why I don't plan on getting caught again while I'm indecently exposed." Jackie replied. She too had heard the Judge's warning about staying out of trouble for the next six months, but still had no intention of not dating Frank or going six months with being with him. Though she fully understood that getting caught meant being without him for a year. It was a chance she would have to take.

Karen looked surprised and reminded, "Jackie if you get caught again ANY time in the next six months you could be here for a year."

"Well, we haven't gotten caught for over a year now, until the other night. Seems like the chances are pretty good to me about not getting caught." Jackie said trying to be logical.

Peggy had been one to like to get out, drink and have a 'good' time, but even she wasn't so sure about doing any of that anytime real soon. She looked around the closed in cell then back to Jackie, "Are you really sure that you want to risk coming back here for a whole year?"

Jackie thought about it before she answered, "The way I see it is Frank isn't likely to go without for six months and I really don't want him going elsewhere."

"You really want him to stick around after he got you into all this?" Charlene asked.

Hearing Charlene's question Karen almost agreed.

"Frank didn't get me into this anymore than any of the other guys got you all here. We're all here because we let ourselves get into the situation. We can't blame them for trying to get us to do something when it was us who decided to go with them to the lake, drink the beer and shed our clothes." Jackie said.

The conversation ended there as each of the girls began to think about what their friend had said and how very right she was. Blaming the guys for their situation might make things a bit easier to deal with but the truth was that they had each been responsible for their own actions.

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At the Hibbs household, Beverly's father walked into the dining room to see the table as usual set for three. He took his seat, opened the morning paper to the stock page and took a drink of orange juice.

A few minutes later his wife joined him dressed in her gown, robe, fuzzy slippers, and hair curlers. She took the society page of the paper and sipped her juice as the housekeeper poured both her and her husbands coffee.

Several minutes later the breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast and all the jellies and marmalades, was put on the table. As Mr. Hibbs put down his paper, he noticed his daughter hadn't come down for breakfast. He frowned. She must have gotten in late from her friend's. In fact it was so late that he hadn't heard her come in.

His wife saw his frustration at their daughter being late for breakfast. She turned toward the housekeeper and said, "Can you please go wake Beverly and tell her breakfast is getting cold?"

"Yes Ma'am." The housekeeper replied and headed up to the teen's room. She knocked, there was no reply. She knocked again louder, still there was no reply. Trying the door, it was unlocked. She opened the door to find the teens bed still made. Returning to the dining room, she advised, "Ma'am, Miss Beverly isn't home yet."

"What?" Mr. Hibbs asked.

"Sir, her bed hasn't been slept in and her room is empty." The housekeeper nervously replied.

Mrs. Hibbs held up her hand to stop her husband's rant, "After breakfast I'll call her friend's house. She likely just got side tracked and stayed another night. You know how teenaged girls can be."

Mr. Hibbs merely grunted at his wife. He wasn't sure why, but something just didn't feel right this morning.

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Cooter had managed to take care of his husbandly duties, get cleaned up, grab a lunch and thermos and was on his way to the garage. He stopped in the bakery and picked up a dozen doughnuts from habit and was sitting outside the garage when the owner pulled up at ten minutes to seven.

Wayne had purposely showed up a few minutes early to see if his new employee would come rushing into the garage right at seven. He was pleasantly surprised to see the new man here and waiting on him a whole ten minutes early.

As Wayne got out of the truck and unlocked the station, Cooter asked, "Care for a doughnut? I have coffee too."

Wayne took his coffee mug from it's usual place by the coffee pot that was usually on, "Don't mind if I do. I'll put us on another pot for later."

While the coffee brewed, the two men ate a doughnut and drank a cup of coffee before getting down to the business at hand.

After Cooter left the motel room, Beverly tried to go back to bed, but she kept thinking of what her parents would be thinking right about now. Surely they had discovered her not at home by now. She only hoped that her friend, Jenny told the story just as they had rehearsed when (not if) she was called.

Beverly felt the butterflies in her stomach just at the thought of her parents finding her not at home like she was expected to be. Then she looked at her left hand and spotted the small diamond with it's matching gold wedding band. Just seeing the rings on her left hand made everything feel so very right as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach and push back thoughts of her parents with thoughts of her husband and her new life as Mrs. Cooter Davenport.

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Luther Davenport pulled up outside his garage and didn't see Cooter's car. He frowned. If the car was inside the bay it was taking up room he needed this morning. If it wasn't in the bay, that meant Cooter most likely wasn't here. If he wasn't at home or here, and he wasn't with the Dukes then where in world could that boy of his have gotten too? The answers that his mind was coming up with weren't at all helpful: hospital, jail or maybe worse yet, shacked up somewhere with a gal. Luther knew his son had a wild streak a mile wide but if he didn't watch, that wild streak was sure to get him in some deep trouble.

Luther opened up the garage to find the bay empty. He checked the upstairs. It too was empty. He turned on his base station and began calling for Cooter. The only response he got was from his nephew LB, "I ain't seen him since he was supposed to be going to that out of town race."

Luther frowned as he thought, 'Out of the mouths of babes...Supposed to have gone to the out of town race... If he didn't go to that race, then where would he go?' He finally said, "LB get yourself over here to this garage as soon as you can."

LB frowned at the tone his uncle used, "Umm, ... yeah, ... Ok, ... Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes." Luther's tone implied that he or Cooter was in deep trouble. The trouble was, LB had no idea what they had done to get into that much trouble.

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Jeb was still fit to be tied when the nurse wheeled him back into the room he shared with his older cousin Luke. "I can't believe the nerve of some people! You have one bad race in an entire weekend and they want to judge you when they've never even sat on a bike!"

The antibiotics and breathing exercises were helping Luke, but he was still rather short winded, "What, ... are you, ... talking about?"

Jeb was more than ready to express his irritation, "You remember that chick that gave me the cold shoulder at the track yesterday? Well, she is here. Here I am all trussed up like a Christmas turkey, she admitted she's never even been on a bike and she had the NERVE to tell me how to ride! She had the NERVE to tell me I looked like an amateur! Can you believe that!?"

Luke grinned widely and said knowingly, "So you like her, huh?"

"What?! Are you out of your mind? Like her? He- NO!" Jeb exclaimed. "If she was the last girl on Earth I wouldn't be caught dead with her."

Luke just nodded and let Jeb continue to blow off steam about his encounter with the girl from the track.