Chapter 92
The Deputy had unlocked the barred door going into the female section of the jail so that Miss Hibbs could leave with her father. Beverly had heard Cooter's voice painfully calling for her. As soon as the door was unlocked she stepped out the door and just as she got past the Deputy and her father, she bolted through the office area and took the stairs two at a time heading to where she figured Cooter was being held.
The Deputy might have been brawny but he had speed and good reaction time. He'd caught up with the young girl, that he believed to be fifteen, before she got her foot on the fourth step. He put one strong arm around her waist and set her down in front of her father at the bottom of the stairs, but not before Beverly had called out, "Cooter!"
Boss Davis gave the man a sympathetic look. It looked like Mr. Hibbs was going to have a long trip back to Hazzard.
Cooter had heard a commotion somewhere down stairs and had stepped back to the cell door trying to hear what was going on when he had heard Beverly call his name. "Bev!"
Mr. Hibbs glared at his daughter, "Beverly LeeAnn, ..." he paused to let the use of her full name sink in, then reminded in a low voice, "As I promised you, the more trouble you give me, the more trouble that grease monkey will have. Now turn around and walk out to the car like a lady."
Beverly dropped her head as she heard Cooter call for her again. One look at her father told her he meant business and if she didn't want Cooter to be in more trouble, she had better listen to her father. She squared her shoulders and walked with determination out the door of the jail toward her father's car.
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Once in the car Mr. Hibbs drove over to the garage just before Wayne closed up for the day. In fact the other men had already left for the day. Mr. Hibbs parked the car and told his daughter in no uncertain terms, "Come with me and do as I say."
Beverly hung her head and followed her father.
Mr. Hibbs addressed Wayne, "As you know, my daughter's husband seems to have gotten himself in a bit of a bind. I'm sorry to say that it looks like it may be years before he'll be in the position to work again. With that being the case, I'll be taking my daughter home with me. As his, ..." Mr. Hibbs found it hard to say the word, "wife, ... can she pick up any pay that he has coming to him?"
Wayne was already expecting Mrs. Davenport. When he'd been contacted about notifying them as to when Cooter was finished with the job he was doing, Wayne had been promised it would be worth his while to co-operate with the law. He had hated doing this to his employee, that would have likely became a friend and maybe even a partner if he'd stayed in town. After seeing the young man taken away none carefully, Wayne had figured that he might just need his wages early so he'd already figured up Cooter's wages for the few days that he'd worked. Cooter had been hired at one hundred and fifty a week, plus ten percent of each car he had worked on, but had only started his fourth day on the job. Wayne had paid him for the four days, then figured out the ten percent of the cars that Cooter had worked on. The more Wayne added the more he hated to loose the man. He had made the garage a lot of money in the four days he'd been there. At the end of his figuring it was so close to five hundred dollars that Wayne had reached in the register and took out five-one hundred dollar bills and put it in an envelope.
Wayne looked at the young woman in front of him as he handed her the pay envelope, "Ma'am I'm not going to lie to you, I'm sure going to miss not having your husband around here. You let him know that I'll hire him back anytime he needs a job."
Beverly just replied, "Thank you, Wayne." As her father quickly turned her back toward the car and their next stop.
At the motel, Mr. Hibbs asked, "Which room?"
Beverly directed her father to the room that she and Cooter had been staying in. Once parked outside of the room, Mr. Hibbs said, "Get your things and don't waste time."
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Luke had dozed off after Bo left, but was now wide awake and thinking. He still could not figure out why Cooter hadn't been by. As Luke's mind wondered about Cooter he looked up to see Doc Applebee coming through the door with a large cup that had a spoon in it.
"I thought it was about time we get something a little solid in you, that is if you feel up to it." Doc said.
Solid food sounded really good to Luke about now. He was more than a bit tired of the Jello and clear liquids he'd been getting. Luke couldn't help but wonder what sort of solid food he'd be getting in a cup. "Solid food sounds good to me." Luke said as his stomach let out a rather loud rumble.
Doc set the bed side table up and place the cup on it for Luke as he began, "Try this out this evening and we'll see how you handle it. If your system tolerates it it alright we'll see about a real breakfast and lunch. Then, we just might be able to talk about you going home by tomorrow afternoon."
Tomorrow afternoon didn't seem soon enough for Luke but it was sure sooner than it had been. Luke began the struggle to get to a near sitting position which wasn't all that easily done even with the raised hospital bed with his ribs taped from his sternum to nearly the tops of his hips. He took the spoon and cup trying to identify the solid food he had been given. It appeared to be soup, but how was that a solid food? Luke wondered as he took the spoon. After investigating further he then began to see rather large pieces of chicken and homemade egg noodles. Chicken noodle soup had never been one of Luke's favorites, but who ever made it, he found after taking an initial taste, had seasoned it just right to wake up his sleeping taste buds.
Doc had made himself busy while Luke ate, changing the bags running to Luke's IVs. By the time that Doc was done he noticed that Luke was cleaning the soup cup. "Do you think that you can handle a bit more?"
Luke struggled to sit back up a bit in the bed where he had slide down before answering the doctor, "Sounds real good to me, Doc."
Doc Applebee smiled. He'd known the healing powers of a good hot chicken noodle soup for years. "Well, how about you take that there pillow and do a round of the exercises I gave you while I just go get you another cup of soup."
Luke nearly let the groan he was trying to withhold slip out at the mention of the exercises that Doc had given him, but wisely replied, "Yes, Sir." As he reached for the hated pillow to begin the exercises which he knew would cause him to cough and leave him drained and more than rather for bed.
Doc heard the slight dread in the young man's voice as he took the pillow to begin the exercises. Doc already had the cough suppressant in his pocket to calm the coughing that he knew the exercises would bring on. A fair amount of coughing was good as it would bring up any infection that Luke needed to get rid of as well as make him breath deeper than he knew any patient at rest would breath.
Every time that Luke coughed he cursed the bids of the tape around his ribs. The coughing made him breath deeper which caused him to cough more. The coughing fits caused the still broken ribs to move which caused considerable pain which is why Luke had avoided doing the exercises that Doc had given him as much as he could both at home and while here at the clinic. Luke knew of course that his lack of exercise had likely helped his body be primed and ready for the pneumonia he was now suffering from.
Luke was trying to get the coughing to stop and control his breathing when Doc came back with his soup. "Here, take this, it should help soon." Doc said as he poured a rather healthy amount into a tablespoon."
Luke readily accepted the couch suppressant, knowing two things about it. It would stop the couching nearly as soon as he swallowed it, and it would put his lights out by the time his finished the cup of soup on the table. He didn't know what was in it, but knew it was likely to be able to put down a fair sized elephant, Luke thought as he began to feel the effects as he neared the bottom of the cup of soup.
By the time Luke took the last bite of soup, Doc was wisely taking the cup out of Luke's hands.
"Thanks, Doc." Luke said with a groggy voice. He would have loved to have been able to have turned over on his left side and curled up for a nice restful sleep, but turning over on the side where the broken ribs were was out of the question, besides he just didn't have the energy to try to turn over as his eyes closed.
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Beverly wasn't sure what she was supposed to do about Cooter's things. The only thing she knew to do was to hurriedly gather all her and Cooter's things. Even though they had the motel room paid up for a month, Beverly wasn't sure that they would keep it open that long with no one staying there. She figured that once Cooter was back in Hazzard she could give him his things then, so she packed everything in the room up and put it all in her father's car. Taking on more look around the room, Beverly closed the door to the room that had been her and Cooter's first 'home', then she headed toward the office.
At the office she turned in her key and inquired about a refund for the remained of the month that Cooter had already paid. It didn't surprise Beverly that there would be no refund. She also asked about if the room would be held for Cooter the rest of the month. The manager had advised that since it was paid up, that it would be left open for her or Cooter to use.
That much at least made Beverly feel somewhat better. If Cooter was able to get out of jail, at least he'd have a place to stay.
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John layed down on his bunk rather early as normal. His thoughts went to his wife and son back at home. His son was like any boy his age, though John knew that Pauline had kept him as sheltered from life as possible. As he wondered what Jeb had been doing that upset Pauline so much John heard movement and 'sounds' coming from the bunk above him. John had been a twelve year old boy once and didn't need to ask or be told what Ralph Green was doing on the bunk above him. Then a light came on in the back of John's mind! He closed his eyes in thought and prayer. Surely the first time that Jeb had been with a girl and she had been doing exactly what Green was above him, his wife had NOT found that exact moment to have found them! John swore to himself, but managed to let slip, "Sh-!"
Which was met by another man in the cell, "Da- it Green! Knock it off!"
Dean added, "There's a shower with a lot of cold water! Use it like a man and stop acting like a kid!"
John never let on as Green headed for a cold shower that the reason for him cursing out loud had really nothing to do with the man above him trying to find some personal pleasure.
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