1982. LUKE IS 26, DAISY 25, AND BO 24. I DON'T OWN THE DUKES OF HAZZARD.
At the normal Duke wake up time everyone was up. Aside from Bo, who was drifting in and out of sleep, curled on his side and clutching his stomach.
"You okay?"' Luke asked, gently placing a hand on Bo's shoulder.
"Yeah..." Bo mumbled, still half asleep.
"You want some of them pain pills now?" Luke offered.
"It ain't that bad... only some bruises... nothin to take pills over..." Bo started waking up more.
"Doc says ya should." Luke pressed.
"Lemme sleep..."
"Alright." Luke chuckled a little and pulled Bo's blankets close to his face. He was gonna make him take those pills, but maybe not while he was sleeping, there didn't seem to be a reason.
About an hour later, Bo woke up with the urge to throw up. He managed to get to his feet, although he was bent to the left side, crippled by the stomach pain. He stumbled into the bathroom, clumsily dropping to his knees in front of the bathtub.
Daisy and Jesse were in the kitchen when they heard noise coming from the bathroom.
"I'll go see..." Daisy said as she walked to the bathroom.
"Oh, Bo, honey..." Daisy knelt next to Bo and placed an arm around his back. He was shaking and moaning with each heave, hating every second of it.
Once he managed to stop throwing up, Bo gratefully let Daisy lay him down with his head in her lap as she stroked his hair. "You'll be okay, sugar..."
After a while, Daisy'd managed to calm Bo down. She helped him to his feet, back into his bed, and gave him some pain pills.
Once it was no longer morning time, Bo didn't want to be in his bed anymore, so Luke transferred him out to the couch. Daisy took off for the Boar's Nest, and Uncle Jesse drove into town to pick up some more irrigating supplies for the corn field.
"How ya doin, Bo?" Luke asked as he came in from the barn.
"Bored." Bo replied.
Luke heard the pitch of Bo's voice raise at the end of the word he'd said. "Ya hurt, don't ya?" he asked, somewhat sternly.
"Yeah..." Bo sighed, there was no point in trying to cover it up. What would be the reason anyway? Bo didn't even know, it just kind of came naturally. Then he studied the worry wrinkles that Luke was currently sporting, and he remembered why. "I'm okay, Luke. I ain't even hurt that bad." he offered.
"Bo, the doc told you to stay in bed for a week. Don't ya reckon that means you're hurt pretty bad?" Luke asked.
"He always over reacts." Bo huffed.
"Over reacts? Bo, I couldn't get ya to stop screaming in pain last night." Luke reminded him.
"That was from my inhaler. Ya know, the muscle spasms?"
"Bo, that weren't no muscle spasm from an asthma inhaler, you was screamin."
"I did not scream..." Bo started.
"Okay, hollered. But you was in pain, enough for me to believe that there's somethin wrong with ya that doc overlooked." Luke decided.
"I ain't goin back there, if thats what you're plannin..."
Luke just sat looking at Bo, but not in the eyes.
"That is what yer plannin, ain't it?"
"What if you've got an internal injury? Ya could be bleeding in there."
"Luke, you know I hate goin there." Bo snapped, and he was already starting to shake just thinking about it.
"Ya hate the hospital even more right? Cause that's where yer gonna end up if ya-"
"Okay, okay." Bo sighed.
"Alright, c'mon." Luke took Bo by arm and helped him to his feet.
"I can walk myself, I've still got 'em pain pills in me." Bo reminded him.
"Okay..." Luke sighed as he let Bo walk outside on his own. Bo was a tough guy and had quite the pain tolerance, but sometimes that got in the way of his own personal safety.
"Shoot, the only car we've got's the General!" Luke kicked the ground.
"What's wrong with that?" Bo asked as he flipped a coin. "Call it."
"Bo, you ain't drivn!"
"Aw, Luke, now whats the difference?" Bo complained.
"Remember where we're goin? The doctor, for you?"
"I still don't get why that means I can't drive." Bo huffed as he slipped in the passenger side.
"Cause its more exerting to yer body." Luke explained.
...
After they were down the road a piece, Bo suddenly turned his head to the window.
"What's the matter?" Luke asked.
"It hurts real bad..." Bo panted as he leaned into the door.
"Kay, hang on." Luke said as he pulled the General off to the side of the road. The fact that Bo was admitting to it 'hurting real bad' terrified him, but he managed to keep the fear out of his voice so he could properly help his cousin.
"You need to throw up?" He asked, hoping that it was the least serious thing that it could be... but thinking about it he realized that it couldn't be if Bo was saying it hurt real bad.
"No, it jus' hurts..." Bo panted.
"Where?" Luke asked as he placed a gentle hand on Bo's shoulder.
"My stomach..." Bo gasped as he tucked his arm around the pain.
"Let me see it..." Luke removed Bo's arm and pulled up his shirt.
"Ahh, it's awful..." Bo threw his head back against the seat.
"Take a deep breath..." Luke requested.
"Can't..."
"You feel that bad?" Luke asked him.
"It hurts pretty dang good..." Bo is panted, the pitch of his voice escalating as he spoke.
"Ya think ya can make it to docs?" Luke asked.
"I don't see what other choice we have..." Bo panted.
"Alright, jus hang on, cousin." Luke offered Bo his hand, and Bo squeezed it hard.
"How long have ya been in this much pain?" Luke asked as he slowly got on the road.
"It hurt kinda bad all day, but it weren't nothin I couldn't handle..." Bo panted, already starting to get himself under control.
Luke was gonna say 'Now are ya glad I didn't let ya drive?', but he decided not to, it'd be too mean.
...
"You ain't never gonna make it to get outta the General. I'll go get doc an have him come give you something right quick, okay?" Luke suggested when they arrived.
"Alright." Bo agreed.
Luke came back out several seconds later with Doc, who was carrying a syringe. Luke climbed back into the car and offered Bo his hand to hold.
Once the meds kicked in, Luke pulled Bo out of the General and carried him inside.
"Lay him down here." Doc ordered.
Bo was expecting it to hurt when Luke laid him down, but the whole area felt strangely numb and cold rather than hurting.
"Where was the pain?" Doc asked as he put on exam gloves.
"Left side of my stomach."
"Luke, 1-10 how bad was he hurting?" Doc asked.
"I'd say about 7-8." Luke replied.
"Why don't you ask me, I'm the patient?" Bo complained.
"Because he's a better judge of that than you." Doc laughed. "Now, let me see." Doc ordered. Luke helped Bo out of his shirt.
"Your ribs are doing fine." Doc commented as he listened to Bo's heart and lungs.
"This shouldn't hurt since I gave you that shot..." Doc took his hands and pressed into various spots on Bo's abdomen.
"You have several severely torn muscles in your left lumbar." Doc concluded. "The injury has been stressed: that's why you were in excruciating pain." Doc started, "Be honest with me, please, I need to know: how long have you had this pain in your stomach?" he asked.
"Since the day that Maudine got me. It started out pretty much unnoticeable and by today it just started killin me." Bo admitted.
"I'm going to prescribe some pretty heavy duty pain meds for you, the ones you have at home simply won't do for this much pain." Doc started writing. "You'll need a brace, too." Bo rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Luke, make sure that he does not, I repeat, does not do any work or any other strenuous activity. Make him rest and alternate between ice packs and hot rags on the injured area. He has to wear the brace for 10 hours a day. Come back in a week and I'll have another look." Doc wrote the instructions down, too.
"I'm warning you, young man... if you don't do as your cousin tells you, you're going to end up in the hospital."
"Yes sir." Bo sighed.
"Come on, Bo, lets go home." Luke helped Bo to his feet and into his shirt.
"Stop by the pharmacy and fill out the prescription and pick up a brace." Doc handed Luke the instruction papers.
"Oh, and Luke, make him take those pain pills." Doc knew that Bo would probably refuse.
"You got it." Luke helped Bo out to the car.
"You ready?" Luke leaned Bo against the car.
"Shouldn't be too bad seeing as how he gave me that shot." Bo shrugged his shoulders. Luke helped him into the car, watching in terror as Bo's face lit up with pain.
"Dang these doors!" Luke kicked the ground. "You gonna be alright?" he asked.
"I'll live." Bo sighed as he laid back in the seat. Luke climbed into the car and drove off to the pharmacy. In the parking lot, he CB'd Jesse.
"Lost sheep to shepherd, you got your ears on out there, come back?"
"This is shepherd, go ahead."
"I took Bo to docs cause he was hurtin' real bad last night. On the way there it started up again. Turns out he ain't only got bruised ribs but Maudine tore up his stomach too. We's picking up his medicine right now, we should be home fer lunch." Luke explained.
"Is Bo alright?" Jesse asked.
Bo grabbed the receiver. "I'm just fine, Uncle Jesse."
"Alright, see you boys at home, I'm gone."
"You wait here, I'll go in and get it." Luke climbed out.
"Don't worry, I ain't going nowhere." Bo promised: it hurt too badly to go anywheres.
Luke went inside and filled the prescription and bought a brace according to what Doc's note said to get. While he was inside, Rosco pulled up next to the General Lee.
"Alright, Bo Duke, out of the car!" Rosco ordered.
"Rosco, what did I do now?" Bo asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Illegal parking! I love it, I love it!" Rosco laughed.
"I'll move it then, but this ain't illegal." Bo slid over to the drivers side.
"I'm gonna have to write you a $50 ticket!" Rosco stated.
Bo knew that they didn't have no $50, 'specialy with the extra doctors' bills. "Catch me, than you can!" he called as he sped away.
"Oooh, flash, hot pursuit!" Rosco giggled as he took off after Bo.
I'll have to loose him real quick and come a back for Luke. Or maybe Daisy can pick up Luke?
"Bo Peep, this is lost sheep #2, you got your ears on?"
"This is Bo Peep, go on ahead, Bo."
"Rosco's chasin' me and I accidentally left Luke at the Hazzard pharmacy. Could you pick him up while I shake Rosco?"
"Sure thing, honey. But, I heard what Luke told Uncle Jesse. Don't you hurt yourself! You're s'posed to be in bed." Daisy reminded him. Then she left the Boar's Nest early and sped off to the pharmacy, where Luke'd worked himself up into a state worrying about Bo.
"Luke, Bo called me on the CB and told me to pick you up. Rosco's chasing him." Daisy said as Luke climbed into Dixie.
"Is he alright?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, he seemed okay. He'll be home as soon as she shakes Rosco." Daisy replied.
"I'm gonna check on him..." Luke picked up the CB. "Bo, this is Luke. You okay?"
"Yeah, Luke, I'm sorry I took off, Rosco wanted to stick me with a phony $50 parking ticket."
"Don't worry about it, Daisy intercepted me. Don't overdo it Bo, you heard the doc, you're s'poosed to be in bed."
"Okay, I'm gone." Bo dropped the CB and went back to concentrating on loosing Rosco.
Ahead there was a construction crew and Bo saw the perfect place to jump and leave Rosco in the dust.
The General Lee was flying for a good six seconds before it hit the ground, jarring Bo and causing the pain to flare up. For a few seconds, Bo couldn't see, as he was doubled over clutching his stomach. When he regained his composure, what he saw terrified him: a huge boulder, right next to a bunch of trees.
Avoiding as many obstacles as he could, Bo crashed the General Lee, rolling it once. After he checked to make sure that his legs worked, he reached for the CB, changing the channel (so Luke wouldn't hear) and praying that Cooter was on it.
"Cooter, you out there, come back?"
"This is Craaaaaazy Cooter coming at you long and strong, come on."
"I wrecked the General Lee. Could you come take it to the garage? I'll have to mend some fences to pay for it or something, Luke is gonna kill me!"
"You mean he ain't there?"
"No, just me."
"Okay, calm down. I'll be there soon."
"Hey, Cooter?"
"Yeah, Bo?"
"I think I'm hurt."
"How bad? You need an ambulance?"
"No, just, be prepared to help me outta here and please, don't tell my family."
"I think they might notice the damage to the car, Bo."
"Please, just get on over here and we can discuss the details later, I'm gone." Bo laid down as best as he could and tried to get his pain under control. He put his hand up to his face and drew back blood. This is just great. Bo wanted to kick himself.
