1980. LUKE IS 24, DAISY 23, AND BO 22. I DON'T OWN THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. HOWEVER, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD OWNS A PIECE OF MY HEART. ANYWAY… ON WITH THE STORY!
Bo and Luke had been jailed in a bar room brawl: two uglies had been messing with Daisy. As they sat glumly in their sell, waiting for Jesse to bail them out or Cooter to break them out, they made small talk about boring things.
"Let's just bust out." Bo finally said.
"The bail is kinda cheap this time, I think Uncle Jesse can scrape it up." Luke tossed the idea of breaking out off.
"You call $50 a piece 'cheap'?" Bo asked.
"It's not as bad as usual." Luke reminded him.
"What do you have against breaking out, anyway?" Bo crossed his arms.
"There ain't no reason. Uncle Jesse'll be here soon." Luke sat down.
"All right, have it your way." Bo huffed.
"You alright, Bo?" Luke asked him, hearing him breathing hard.
"Not with this again, Luke, I'm perfectly fine." Bo replied.
"Shoot, I'm sorry, Bo." Luke kicked the floor.
"It's just that you're always asking me that. I know you care about me, but, maybe just realize that I ain't disabled or a senior citizen?" Bo calmed down.
"You ain't exactly in perfect health, Bo." Luke looked at the floor.
"I know it." Bo sighed.
After another 10 minutes of waiting, Bo started to pace the cell again.
"Where's Uncle Jesse!" Bo kicked the bars.
"Calm down." Luke laughed a little.
"Maybe we deserve some jail time, anyhow. We's always causing Uncle Jesse some kind of problem." Bo laughed a little, too.
"Sit down, you ain't breathing right and Rosco confiscated all the junk in our pockets, including your inhaler." Luke ordered.
"Good idea." Bo sat down.
"Deep breaths, I can hear it starting up." Luke stood up and let Bo use the fullness of the bed.
"And I can feel it." Bo coughed.
"Rosco!" Luke yelled.
"He ain't gonna listen to you." Bo wasted precious air by speaking.
"ROSCO!" Luke yelled again.
"What in the heck do you dang Duke boys want!" Rosco came down carrying Flash.
"Could you please get Bo's inhaler from the confiscated box or whatever it is you call it?" Luke asked.
"This is just another one of your ruses to escape." Rosco planted his feet.
"No it ain't, Bo needs it." Luke begged.
Rosco approached the cell and looked at Bo, who was hardly breathing anymore.
"Maybe it ain't no ruse... I'll take my chances." Rosco went upstairs and retrieved the inhaler.
"Here you go." He handed it through the bars.
"Thanks a million, Rosco." Luke helped Bo to take it several times, but it didn't help too much. Bo continued coughing and wheezing.
"He alright?" Rosco had stayed around to watch.
"I think you best call doc Appleby." Luke asked.
"Oooh, Flash, we's got an emergency!" Rosco ran upstairs and called the doc.
"This is sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. It seems that one of my prisoners needs a doctor. Hurry on up and get down here." Rosco put the phone down, rushing back downstairs.
"He alright, Luke?" He asked.
"He ain't doing too good." Luke was holding Bo up in his lap on the floor.
"Luke..." Bo was starting to pass out.
"You're okay." Luke stroked his hair.
"You need any help?" Rosco didn't like the Dukes, but he also didn't want anything to happen to them.
"As long as the doc gets here soon, I think he'll be fine." Luke replied.
"Luke..." Bo wheezed.
"Don't talk, Bo, jus' breathe." Luke directed.
"Rosco!" Boss Hogg had just arrived and was waiting upstairs.
"Comin', Boss!" Rosco ran up the stairs.
"Did Jesse come pay the bail on them Duke boys yet?" Boss asked.
"No, but Bo is having trouble breathing so I called the doc." Rosco informed him.
"When he gets here, charge the bill to me, we wouldn't want them Dukes suing us!" Boss puffed from his cigar.
Just then, Jesse arrived to put up the bail.
"Alright, J.D, now you let my boys out!" Jesse slammed the money down on the desk.
"Alright Jesse, don't get mad, but, uh, Bo's uh, well, he ain't..."
"What did you do to my boys?" Jesse demanded.
"I didn't do nothing, it was Rosco, here!" Boss pointed at Rosco.
"Now, Boss, wait a minute! I didn't do nothing to them Dukes!" Rosco pipped up.
"What's wrong with my boys!?" Jesse shouted.
"Bo's just having an itty bitty asthma attack is all." Boss said.
"Is Luke with him?" Jesse asked.
"Yes." Rosco replied.
"Is he alright?" Jesse demanded.
"I called the doc because Luke said so." Rosco replied.
"Let me down there!" Jesse started walking.
Back in the cell, Bo was almost unconscious, and he was mumbling delirious pleas for help.
"You're alright, Bo." Luke held the taller man's shaking frame close to his own in an effort to calm him down.
"How's he doing, Luke?" Jesse walked in to the cell when Rosco unlocked it.
"He ain't really aware." Luke sighed.
"Whens the doc getting here?" Jesse yelled towards the stairs.
"He's here, Jesse." Boss replied as doc Appleby came down the stairs.
"Let me through." Doc shoved past Rosco.
Doc Appleby placed an oxygen mask over Bo's face and took his pulse.
"How long has it been since it started?" Doc asked.
"About 15 minutes." Luke replied.
"Ok, and how long has he been unaware?" Doc asked.
"8 minutes or so." Luke replied.
"Hang on to him while I inject this, I don't know if he's going to react or not." Doc told Luke as he took Bo's wrist and stuck a needle in it. Bo wasn't aware of his surroundings so, he didn't care and doc successfully injected the medication.
"Luke?" Bo coughed from behind the mask.
"I'm right here." Luke squeezed his hand.
"Stay." Bo wheezed.
"I will, I promise you." Luke held him closer.
"Bo, listen to me. If you relax and just concentrate on deep breathing, you'll be just fine. Otherwise, I'll have to send you to the hospital." Doc Appleby warned.
"Do your thing." Doc looked at Luke and stood up.
"Listen to me." Luke whispered something in Bo's ear.
Jesse knelt next to them. "I've done paid the bail so as soon as you're alright, you and Luke can come home." Jesse put his hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks." Bo managed.
"You're okay, you're alright now." Luke held him closer, as he was still shaking.
"Let me take his pulse again and listen to his lungs." Doc requested after about 10 minutes.
"You're alright now. You can go on home." Doc removed the mask.
"Thanks, doc." Bo smiled weakly.
"Just doing my job." Doc shook all their hands and charged Boss's account.
"Let's get you on home, Bo." Luke helped him to his feet.
The boys got the General Lee out of impound and headed home.
That night, Rosco called on the phone.
"Duke farm, this is Jesse." Jesse picked up the phone.
"Uh, Jesse, I just wanted to uh, see if Bo's feeling any better." Rosco stuttered.
"Oh, he's just fine now, Rosco, thanks." Jesse was surprised that Rosco even cared.
"Oh, good. Bye." Rosco hung up.
"What do you know?" Jesse put the phone down.
"Uncle Jesse?" Bo called entering the room.
"Yeah, Bo?" Jesse answered.
"Where's Luke?" Bo asked.
"I think he went for a walk. He ain't in the best of moods." Jesse sighed.
"Yeah, I know. I think he's still worrying about me." Bo sighed. "Poor Luke. He looses so much sleep over me." Bo added.
"He gets just enough sleep, son. We all worry a little too much some times." Jesse smiled.
Luke ran into the house. "Uncle Jesse! I ain't seen Bo in hours, he's probably laying half dead somewheres!" Luke busted into the room.
"I'm right here, Luke." Bo smiled and laughed a little. Luke just grabbed him and hugged him.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I've been in our bedroom all day." Bo hugged him back.
"Don't you never do that to me again!" Luke held him closer.
"I'm alright, I'm okay." Bo reassured his older cousin.
"I thought you was dead." Luke admitted.
"I ain't dead."
"Don't disappear like that again! You hear?" Luke demanded.
"Okay, but I was just in our room." Bo replied.
"Are you alright, Luke?" Jesse asked after Luke had released Bo from his death grip.
"Yeah, I was jus' worried about him is all." Luke exhaled and leaned back on the couch.
"Next time, look in the bedroom before you get yourself all worked up." Jesse smiled.
"Sorry about that." Luke fell asleep on the couch.
That night...
Bo and Luke were sleeping soundly, until Luke started to dream that is.
"Steve, no... don't die... no..." Luke tossed and turned, waking Bo. Bo had memorized all of Luke's 'Nam dreams. This one was about when Luke and his friend Steve had been shot and Steve had died: right there in front of him. Bo got out of bed and sat on the edge of Luke's bed, grabbing his shoulders.
"Luke, you're in Hazzard. You're alright." Bo told him.
"Steve... don't die, I'll get help, I promise!" Luke scrambled.
"Luke, Steve is dead. This is 1980." Bo shook him gently.
"Bo?"
"Yeah, it's me, cousin."
"What are you doing in 'Nam! You're gonna get killed!" Tears poured from Luke's eyes at the thought of his baby cousin at war.
"This ain't 'Nam, it's Hazzard!" Bo shook him again.
"I's home now?" Luke asked.
"You have been for several years."
"Steve's dead, Bo."
"I know it, I'm sorry."
"He died right next to me, Bo."
"I'm so sorry, Luke."
"It ain't fair!" Luke sat up and grabbed Bo in a death grip. Bo embraced him back with the same force.
"You're safe and Steve's in a better place." Bo comforted him.
"I'm really home?" Luke asked him again.
"Yes."
"For good?"
"For good."
"Don't go away, Bo." Luke held on for a good 5 minutes, until he woke up all the way and Bo laid him back down.
"Was I dreaming again?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, you was." Bo replied.
"Heck, I'm sorry, Bo."
"Don't be. It ain't your fault. 'Sides, I don't mind." Bo patted his shoulder and headed back to his own bed.
The rest of the night was peaceful for the Duke family.
