The next day Kira headed on out to Doc Appleby’s office, and since she had made Jebb a promise that she wouldn’t go to the doctor alone (EVER AGAIN) he was by her side while she waited in the small exam room. She’d technically already had her first prenatal visit in the hospital, so this was just a follow up visit. That and she had to fill out all of those forms that you have to worry about the first time you go to a new doctor (Something she avoided when the doctor came out to patch her up after the bank robbery) that had all of her medical history.

“Well hello Kira, Jebb, I hope I didn’t keep you too long.”

“Nah, we ain’t waited long at all.” Jebb shook the man’s hand and sat back down beside Kira.

“Now today is just to check your incision and ribs. I checked the baby just before you were released so everything is alright for now, there. I would like to touch on any questions and concerns that you may have about what you can or cannot do while pregnant. I know that Dr. Robins had told you that you’d be riding your bike, Kira, but with the accident, I’m afraid that you won’t be. By the time it would be safe to ride again with your ribs and neck, it won’t be with the baby.” Kira nodded her understanding and pointedly ignored the look that Jebb was sending her way. “Other than that and alcohol, there really isn’t anything that I would suggest that you change for right now.”

“So in other words, there’s absolutely no reason why I can’t get back to work?” Kira looked at Jebb as she spoke. Doc Appleby smiled. Seemed like half the fathers that came in with their wives would err on the side of caution to the point that it would drive the women crazy.

“No, none at all. As long as you listen when your body tells you that it needs rest. You may find that you’ll get more done if you try to get a nap in during the afternoon. That way you’ll be rested for the rest of the day. Otherwise, you’ll likely be draggin’ come the evening.” Jebb thought that the likely-hood of Kira voluntarily taking a nap is about as likely as Boss deciding to donate all of his money to charity “Now there is one issue that many couples are usually too embarrassed to ask about even though they are concerned about it. When I said that you could go about everything else as normal; that includes sexual relations.” Jebb shifted uncomfortably as he sat in front of a man that had known him since he was an infant bringing up his sex life. “You won’t hurt the baby none. And as long as the pregnancy continues normally, it won’t become an issue. Which brings me to another issue. I would be doing you two a disservice if I didn’t mention that the fact that two of you being cousins does put the baby at an increased risk for genetic birth defects.”

“Birth defects?” Kira hadn’t really put much thought into the fact that she and Jebb being cousins would affect the baby. Suddenly she became very worried about her pregnancy.

“An average couple has a 1.2 to 3 percent chance of having children with a birth defect or genetic disease, while first cousins chance will around 2 to 6 percent.” Doc Appleby watched as the couple in the office both exchanged worried glances so he added, “Even at its worst seven percent you still have a ninety-three percent chance of having a perfectly healthy child. But this will mean that we will be running extra tests and screenings to keep an eye on everything. They won’t be cheap though.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Kira said absently.

“I’ll set up an appointment at the hospital for you for them to run the first batch and they’ll call you with the time. We’ll also schedule an ultrasound to monitor the baby’s development. Basically, we’ll just keep an extra close eye on everything for right now.”

“Is there anything else we can do?” Jebb didn’t like the idea that there could be something wrong with the baby.

“Not right now, but I would suggest that you think about the risks, for any future pregnancies.” Both Dukes nodded as they understood what Doctor Appleby was talking about. Whether or not they should have any other kids after this one.




“I don’t know Daisy. I just need some bigger jeans and a new bra. I don’t think I need maternity clothes yet. Look at this stuff. I’d look like a house wearing these clothes right now. Though the effect will probably be even worse later on.”

“Come on. It won’t hurt to look.” Daisy started to browse the racks of clothes and pulled out a top to show Kira. “What do you think?”

Looking over at Daisy, “No Pink! I’ll wear yellow and look like a school bus first. I like the style though. What other colors to they have?”

“Blues of different shades, purple, orange. Ah, here you go. YELLOW. A nice bright one,” Daisy held up the shirt smiling brightly.

“Cute. Taking lessons from Bo?”

“No, I’m the one he’s been taking learnin’ from,” Daisy winked at her as she replaced the top. “Hey, this peasant top would look good on you. And it’s even your favorite color.” Daisy passed the dark green top over to Kira who then held it up to her chest to see how it would look on her.

“I guess it would be a waste to come all the way over here without getting SOMETHING. Just a couple of things that I can have on hand for when I need them,” Kira had to admit that she did like the top.

“That’s the spirit. Let’s see what else we can find. You’ll need some pants to go with it. Hey, look at these. They have elastic so you won’t have to turn around and buy new pants every month.”

Kira looked at the pants skeptically. “I DON’T think I’m ready for that yet. I’m not even showin’ yet, Daisy. I think I’ll just get some regular pants for right now.”

Daisy shrugged as she replaced the pants on the rack. “You haven’t told me yet how your visit to the doc went yet. Did he settle Jebb down?”

“He told him that I can do just about whatever I want for right now. Minus the bike. That was a tough pill to swallow. I won’t miss the alcohol though. I only drank rarely anyway. He did throw us a curveball though.”

“What?”

“He told us that there is a greater chance that there could be something wrong with the baby. What with Jebb and I being cousins. I hadn’t really thought about that. What are we going to do if the baby is born sick?”

“Oh, come on, Honey. Everything will be just fine. You just got to believe. After all, this tyke has already beaten the odds. The Duke Luck will make sure of it. Don’t you worry none. Okay. Worryin’ won’t do no good for the baby. Come on, let’s check out. Then we’ll go next door to shop for baby clothes.”




Kira woke up and for a minute, she couldn’t remember where she was at. Then, she realized that she was on the couch. She had reluctantly began to take a nap after lunch since she had to admit, she really did get a little more done afterwards when she did. Though she refused to go to bed in the middle of the day; the couch was a good compromise. Here she could set her alarm in her office and not worry about sleeping too long since she could hear it with the office door open.

Getting up off of the couch, Kira smoothed her clothes down and her hands rested for just a few seconds on the tale-tale bump that had finally began to make its presence known to the world. She had an appointment this afternoon at the hospital for an ultrasound to check on the baby and for an amniocentesis along with some other tests. Looking at the clock, she knew that she should leave soon though she had to wait for Jebb.

Locking her office door, Kira got ready to head out of the door to wait on the porch swing before she stopped for a quick detour. Kira knew that the doctor had said she’d need a full bladder for the ultrasound but she was pretty sure that it would be full again by the time the tech called her name at the hospital. These extra trips to the bathroom were seriously cutting into her being ready to leave at a moment’s notice. At least the morning sickness is getting better. FINALLY. Just as long as she avoided anything sweet before lunch.

Grabbing her purse, she headed on out of the house. Outside, Jebb was just pulling into the drive with the truck from working out on the fencing; right on time.




As Kira and Jebb sat in the room with the tech and the ultrasound machine, they both waited for the tech to say ANYTHING that would either let them know everything was okay with the baby or not. Instead the tech just wrote something down in the file and pretty much ignored the couple while running the machine. Just as Jebb was about to say something to the tech about her attitude toward the Dukes Doctor Appleby’s colleague, Dr. Petticord, came into the small room. He’d be performing the amniocentesis.

“Good afternoon, how are you two?”

Kira eyed the machine while the tech still ran the wand (what else could you call it?) over her lower stomach before answering. “Been better. Ready to get this over with,” Doc Petticord nodded his understanding.

“The nurse gave you a local I believe. You should be a little numb by now.”

“Yeh, I’m numb. Now what?”

“Now we’ll take a small sample of fluid and we should be able to determine any possible genetic defects.” Doc Petticord went to the small instrument table and Kira’s eyes went wide when she saw the long hollow needle. Now she doesn’t suffer the same phobia as Bo does when it comes to needles but that one in the Doc’s hands just might make her rethink her position on such things. As she saw it heading her way, she tightened her grip on Jebb’s hand into a death grip. She wasn’t going to like this at all. “Now, this will just take a few seconds.”

Using the image on the screen as a guide, the doctor inserted the long needle into Kira’s lower abdomen and siphoned off just enough amniotic fluid that the tests needed. Once done, he removed the needle and Kira visibly relaxed as the doctor and needle left her immediate vicinity. Jebb took advantage of the slightly relaxed grip to switch hands. Dr. Petticord smiled to himself when he saw Jebb give his hand a gentle shake to gain feeling back in it. Most men never fully appreciate just how strong their wives are until they are pregnant and holding on for dear life.

“We’ll get in the preliminary results in about three days. The final results will be back in ten to fourteen days. Your next Ultrasound in a few weeks won’t be this bad. I promise. In fact, by then, you’ll be able to see what you’re having if you want to find out ahead of time. Not everyone wants to know before the birth but many do.”

“Really? You’ll be able to see by then?” Jebb got a nod in response to his question.

“In fact, let me show you something.” Petticord turned the small screen towards the two in the room. “See this right there? That’s the baby’s head. He or she can be seen right now sucking on its thumb. As the baby grows, we’ll be able to see more details. Right now the baby is about the size of a lemon.” He nodded to the tech and she did something at her small station before a small piece of paper about the size of an index card came out of the machine on the desk. “This may not be the best picture that you’ll ever get of your ‘Little Duke’ but it’s never too early to start a baby book.”

Kira took the small picture and looked at the black and white blurs. It seemed a lot like looking at an ink blot but she was able to see the shape of a head and a tiny hand. Somehow she didn’t mind getting poked with the horrendous needle anymore.




Kira had spent the morning cleaning the house since it was the Tuesday. She’s set aside Tuesdays to do the major house hold chores. Mop the floors, clean the bathrooms, do the laundry, that sort of thing. She was just finishing up when she heard the phone ringing in the living room. Going over to pick the phone up, she was surprised to hear that it was Doc Petticord’s nurse calling with the initial test results. Kira nearly held her breath while she waited for the news.

“It seems that most of the results are well within the normal range so there really isn’t anything to worry about right now. The doctor will let you know when the rest of the tests are back, most likely by the end of next week.”

Kira was ready to let out a sigh of relief when she caught the one word that seemed the most important right now. “Wait a minute, you said MOST. What is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. The AFP test results were slightly elevated though not to the point to cause any concern. While you’re on the line, I am supposed to go ahead and schedule your next visit. Let’s see, you’ll be able to combine this visit with Doc. Appleby and the second ultrasound together. And I have a note to make sure that you know that Doc. Petticord won’t be there so no big needles.” There was a slight hint of humor in the woman’s voice. “How’s the first of September sound? At about ten?”

“Alright, but I’ll hold you to the no huge needles thing. Why no one decided to warn me about that monster, I’ll never know.”

“Most women wouldn’t show up if they knew ahead of time. See you on the first.”

Kira hung the phone up and allowed herself to feel the relief now. If the doctors weren’t concerned then that had to be a good thing. Now that she was done with the house hold chores, she might as well and get lunch together. All of the men had taken to coming here for lunch lately (claiming that it was closer than the other farm house even though she knew that they were really keeping tabs on her). Maybe she and Jebb should celebrate the preliminary results tonight. It’d been a while since they’d gone out to the Boar’s Nest. She wanted a night of fun before she really started to show in an obvious way. Plus she knew that Jebb had been worrying a lot about her and the baby. Something told her he needed a night out just as bad as, if not more than, her.




“Well, are you two goin’ to find out what the baby’s gonna be or just be surprised?” Luke helped Jebb move the fence post to where they were mending the latest section of the fence on Jebb’s lower forty. They’d sent Bo for some more lumber and Jesse had decided to go help Kira with lunch.

“We haven’t really decided. I know that folks always say that they just want the baby to be healthy when they really mean something else but right now, that really is all I’m worried about right now.”

“It’ll make pickin’ out a name easier. No going back and forth for both a boy and a girl. You two only have to decide on one.”

After driving the post in, Jebb thought about what Luke had said. “I guess it would be more practical. Plus, it might would make getting the baby’s room together easier too. Either way though I doubt that Kira will want to paint the nursery pink. I’m surprised that she didn’t mind Daisy paintin’ the room for Emma and Emily pink.”

“I bet y’all weren’t thinkin’ about having a nursery when you used the room next to y’alls as their room. Why was that anyway?”

“To make it more like home I guess. Their room was between mine and Karen’s from the time they were born. Though mom had originally wanted to switch Karen’s room with theirs. So that they’d be closer to her at night. Pop figured that the best room for the twins though was between his two teenagers.” Luke sent a questioning look as he tried to figure out why his uncle would have put a nursery between his daughter’s room (a senior in high school) and his son’s (a freshman) instead of next to his. Jebb had to smile at his father’s unique approach to birth control. “It was Pop’s way of making sure that we knew what could happen if we weren’t careful. And since Emily had colic, it made for some tirin’ nights. Who could think of trying anything with a girl when you hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks?”

“I remember that. Isn’t that when you practically begged to spend some time in Hazzard? Almost the whole summer after they were born.”

“Do you blame me? And then as the girls got older, it really put a crimp in my social life. I bet I was the only senior in high school that dreaded finding twins in my bed.” Luke laughed as he pictured Jebb having to fight for the covers after his sisters would sneak into his bed. “Fortunately, Emma out grew that a long time ago. It made it easier when it was just one of them instead of both.”

“Now you get to start all over with that again. I guess that gave you plenty of practice. I’m glad it wasn’t ME that had to take BABY101 in high school. I had other classes that I liked to study instead.” Luke grinned as he thought of a few of his favorite ‘classes’ in school.

“I’ll bet.” Jebb and Luke finished the section while talking about various high school conquest and crushes while reminiscing. They were just finishing up and getting ready to head to the house when Bo pulled Jesse’s truck up in a hurry.

“Hey, Bo, where’s the fence posts?”

“I didn’t get that far. You’ll never guess what I came across as I was cutting through our back forty to head out to the road. A STILL! A FREAKIN’ STILL! We got to get rid of that thing quick. I heard Agent Huntley on the CB. You know what she’ll do if she finds that thing on our land.”

“I guess we know who called her too,” Luke said.

“BOSS!” Both blonds replied.

“Well, what are we gonna do? They’ve got all the roads monitored by now.”

“I’ve got an idea. Bo, you remember the mine sleddin’?” Luke glanced over at his cousins in confusion at Jebb’s question.

“Yeh, what about it?”

“Well, instead of trying to get it off the land completely, we can bury it in the mines instead. We can load it up in one of the carts and push it on down the shaft. Even if someone went down after it, it’ll be in a million pieces.”

“Well let’s hurry. You better believe that it won’t be long before someone comes lookin’ for it.”

“And afterwards, you two are gonna spend lunch explainin’ just what MINE SLEDDIN’ is,” Luke’s voice insisted.

Bo and Jebb exchanged glances before getting into the truck to head off to the still that Bo had found on Duke land.




“You two did WHAT?” Kira hide a smirk as her husband and brother got yelled at for a misdeed that happened long ago by their uncle. “What were you two fools thinkin’?”

“We were kids Uncle Jesse. We weren’t thinkin’. We were just havin’ fun.” Jebb was feeling mighty lucky that he wouldn’t have to go home with his uncle. Humm, wonder if Bo will want to use the guest room tonight?

“Well, at least you’re being honest. You better hope that your youngen don’t decide to outdo his daddy for being the biggest fool in the family. What do you think you’ll do when your son or daughter decides to go ‘MINE SLEDDIN’ just like you and your cousin did?” Jesse couldn’t believe that these two could have been so reckless. It’s amazing that they ever reached adulthood. Though he still has doubts at times on whether or not they ever grew up.

“Uh, Bo. I think I’m gonna need your help breakin’ down those old carts,” Jebb finally said while eying his uncle then glancing back at his wife’s stomach where his youngen was at right now.

Bo nodded as he continued to watch both Jesse and Luke. He had flipped his lid too when he and Jebb explained just what had given Jebb the idea for ditching the still in the mines. Well, no help there. Luke ain’t likely to ease their uncle off of the edge. It’d been years since he’d given any of his nephews a good tanning though right now he looked ready to give it a try. Now here Bo sat, a grown man, feeling like he was twelve years old again.

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