by: TNRiverRat

Chapter 13

Bo and Luke finished their errands and stopped by the Boar’s Nest for a while. Luke was greeted by shouts and hugs of congratulations on his engagement and was treated to a few beers from friends. He was enjoying himself and showed off his and Meghan’s marriage license like it was made of gold. Bo, Daisy and Cooter had never seen Luke so happy and open about his feelings before. Bo had lied and told Luke that he was feeling better…he didn’t want to rain on Luke’s parade…so he tried to act fine and cheerful. As hard as he tried, though, his charade was wearing thinner the longer he sat on his barstool. He felt a big coughing fit coming on and slipped off to the men’s room. After a long while, Bo returned to the crowded barroom, burning with fever and exhausted. He ached all over and it hurt to breathe. In fact, it was becoming very hard to even draw a breath. He knew he needed to go to the doctor…he had put it off too long. He headed toward the others but stopped as his vision began to blur and go dark.

Daisy looked up from the mug she was drying to see her cousin walk out of the bathroom. He looked terrible! She saw him sway on his feet and she knew he was about to pass out.
“Bo!” She yelled across the bar.
Cooter and Luke were alerted by Daisy’s outburst. Both men turned in time to see Bo’s knees buckle. Luke was able to reach the young man before he completely hit the ground. He gently lowered his cousin to the dusty floor and was shocked at the heat coming from Bo’s skin. Luke calmed himself and let his military training guide him through an assessment of Bo’s condition.

“What’s the matter with him?” said Cooter.

“He’s been sick with a cold since the day after Thanksgiving, but it’s more than a cold, now. He’s sicker than he let on…isn’t he?” Daisy said.

“Yeah, he is and he’s been too stubborn to stay home and rest or to go see the doctor.” Luke said with frustration as he continued to try to rouse his cousin.
“He’s got a high fever and he’s not breathing too good. From the way he’s been coughin’, I’d bet Boss Hogg’s bank that he’s got pneumonia.”

Upon hearing Luke’s comment, Cooter slipped through the crowd gathered around them and called an ambulance. Luke folded up his coat and placed it under Bo’s head. Daisy knelt next to her cousins and felt Bo’s forehead.

She gasped with shock; he was so hot, his skin felt like it was on fire.
“Luke, he’s burning up!”

“I know. We need to get him to the hospital,” said Luke.

“The ambulance is on its way,” said Cooter, rejoining the others.

Luke and Daisy looked up at their friend with surprise. They had not realized he had left. Luke nodded his head; his gratitude showing in his eyes.

Thirty minutes later, a Tri-County ambulance left the Boar’s Nest, headed toward Capital City. Bo Duke lay on the gurney with an oxygen mask over his face; the rapid, irregular beeping of a cardiac monitor telling the strain his body was under. A red-haired paramedic in his late thirties sat on one side of the unconscious young man and Luke sat on the other. The paramedic had determined that Bo’s temperature was dangerously high and had placed ice packs on his chest and under his arms. Luke looked on as fear and worry clouded his mind as the vehicle careened around curves; racing to the hospital.
Soon the wild ride ended and Bo was whisked out of the ambulance and into the Emergency Room. Luke filled out the admission forms that were placed in front of him as best he could and sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs to wait for news.

Daisy had called Jesse at Aunt Lavinia’s house and told him about Bo’s collapse. Jesse had assured her that he would be home as soon as he could. Daisy then sped toward the hospital, Cooter accompanying her.
They arrived at the hospital in time to hear the latest update on Bo’s condition.

A tall, blond-haired nurse told them that Bo was being transferred to ICU as soon as a bed became available and that a doctor would be out to talk to them soon. Luke hugged Daisy and tried not to let his worry show too much. Daisy could tell, however, that her older cousin was upset.

“Has anyone told you what’s going on, other than what we just heard?” she asked.

“No. That’s the first news I’ve heard. ICU…he must be in bad shape.” Luke said quietly, looking at his hands.
“Don’t worry, Lukas. Bo will be out of here in time for your weddin’. He’ll be up and raising Cain with all of us in no time.” Cooter said as he put a comforting arm around each of his friends.

Daisy smiled at Cooter and hugged him.

Luke just nodded, still looking away. Luke felt that he should have noticed how sick Bo was. He should have known all along what was going on with his cousin instead of being absorbed in his own life. “Hell, we’ve been side by side nearly everyday since he was two and even shared a room most of our lives. We’re as close as brothers. He should’ve been able to come to me. Why didn’t he?” Luke thought as he cracked his knuckles in nervousness. He hoped he would have a chance to become close to his “little brother” again, but now…with getting married and Bo being sick and all…he just didn’t know how things would work out. For the first time in his life, Luke Duke didn’t know what to do; he didn’t have a plan and he had no idea how things might unravel. He was scared…and he didn’t like it one bit.

Luke, Daisy and Cooter were soon joined by a very worried Jesse and the small group waited patiently for any news concerning Bo.

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Meghan Riley was winding down a hard day at work on the sixth floor neurology unit. She had gotten all five of her demanding patients settled for the evening and was completing her charting before the end of her shift. It felt good to sit down for a while! Her lower back and legs briefly protested the change in position but she soon was able to relax a bit as she jotted notes about Mrs. Johnson in room 610’s condition after her recent back surgery. Meghan was roused from her recount of the day’s events by a soft, very familiar voice. The petite brunette looked up to see her fiancé standing a few feet away. She was surprised to see Luke at the hospital and was even more surprised at the look of worry and fear on his face. Her strong Luke looked like a scared child as he stared at her with wide eyes and a serious expression.

“Luke, honey, what’s wrong?” she said as she came around the nurse’s station to embrace the dark-haired man. “Has something happened to Uncle Jesse?”

Luke squeezed her hard in return. He broke free of the embrace and began to pace in the small area where they stood. He took a deep breath and prepared to tell Meghan what was going on. He took her hands in his own and held on tightly.
“No…he’s fine. It’s Bo. You know that he’s been sick off and on since Thanksgiving, right?” Meghan nodded. “Well, he didn’t get any better and he’s been hiding it from all of us. He looked really sick today and was coughing a lot…but he said he was feeling better, so we went to the Boar’s Nest after running some errands. While we were there, Bo collapsed and has been unconscious ever since. The doctor said he’s got a really bad case of pneumonia in both lungs and a seriously high fever. They’ve put him in ICU…on a ventilator…he can’t even breathe on his own anymore. His fever is so high…” Luke stopped talking and swallowed hard. He braced himself and continued, “the doctor said that if the fever doesn’t go down soon, Bo could die or be brain damaged…besides the fact that he could die at any time due to the infection! It’s bad, Meghan. Daisy and Uncle Jesse are waiting to go in to see him; but I don’t know if I can see him like that…lying there, hooked up to those machines. He’s been sick before…when he was a kid or had a spell with his asthma…but nothing like this. The doctor didn’t sound too sure that Bo would even make it, Meghan! My best friend could be dying and I can’t do anything about it! I’ve always been able to take care of him. I’ve always been the one he ran to…I always knew what to do to make things better.” Luke’s voice softened, “I couldn’t protect him this time…I know I couldn’t help it…but I feel like I’ve let him down or betrayed him somehow.” Luke’s careful mask that he usually used to hide his emotions cracked. Silent tears streaked his face as his fear for Bo’s life consumed him. He let Meghan draw him into an embrace and was grateful for her soothing touch.

The young nurse held Luke tightly and gave him what strength she could as she offered her support. Her own feelings of fear and worry were raging through her mind. Meghan’s heart had dropped at the news that Bo was ill. Her mouth had gone dry at Luke’s description of his cousin’s condition. She knew all too well that a serious illness such as this could kill even perfectly healthy, strong people such as Bo Duke. She had to see him. She had to let him know how she felt about him before it was too late; regardless of the potential consequences.

Twenty years later, on a hillside overlooking the Tennessee River, rural West Tennessee;
Bo Duke continues to reminisce about his life since meeting Meghan Riley.

“That’s pretty much all I remember about the year we met, Meggie. Granted, some of it was based on what Daisy told me, after the fact. Daisy and Uncle Jesse told me that I came pretty close to dying. I sometimes wonder if things had been better off if I had; I mean better for you and Luke. I know he would have been happier if things between you and him had stayed like they were. I’ll always treasure knowing that you loved me the way that I loved you…I just wish I had been able to let you know I felt the same way.” Bo went silent for a while, the gentle spring breeze tousling his short, blond hair as he played with the weeds that grew around the tree he sat beneath. “Daisy said Luke walked in the room just as you were telling me how you felt. I know it hurt him…it had to hurt you, too. I wish I could’ve prevented it. I do nothing but cause trouble; even when I’m unconscious!” He smiled, grimly. “I know it doesn’t help matters any to relive all of this, but I have to. It’s all my fault, Meggie! If I hadn’t been around, we wouldn’t have fallen for each other, you and Luke wouldn’t have argued, and you wouldn’t have left that night and gotten in that wreck.” Bo reached out with a trembling hand and gently traced the letters etched in the granite monument next to him. “I’m the reason you’re dead! I didn’t even know what had happened until after you were already buried. I couldn’t love you like you deserved and I kept Luke from loving you, too.” He wiped away the tears that had streaked his face as he spoke.

After several minutes of silence, he took a deep breath and rose from the ground, caressing the stone marker as if it were his beloved’s face. “Well, Meggie, to make a long story short, I’ve spent the last twenty years trying my best to get myself killed. I’m too chicken to just go on and do it, but I’ve entered every dangerous race, been in every life threatening situation I could…just to try to end the pain. I blamed myself and I blamed Luke, a little, for your death. Luke blamed me, completely, and that’s one reason I left the farm as quickly as I could. I tried to be there for Luke, to help him and to grieve with him, but he couldn’t stand to look at me. I couldn’t stand being around home; the memories of you and of happy times with Luke and my family were too much. Luke and I didn’t speak for nearly ten years. But now we can talk to each other and we’re trying to get close again…but I don’t know if we can ever be like we were. Uncle Jesse’s gone now…maybe you two have seen each other…I hope so; he liked you. Luke has moved on with his life after a few reckless years. He’s in with the Forestry Service and is thinking about retiring from smoke jumping. He’s married and they’re thinking about starting a family. Daisy and Enos finally married and they are doing great…Daisy has a PhD…can you believe it? And me…I’ve become a success without even trying. I’ve lived my dreams…but it doesn’t matter without someone to share it all with. My someone was you, Meggie. I still love you and I miss you more every day. Daisy tells me I need to get over you and live my life…but I can’t…something won’t let me…I can’t stop thinking about the past; wondering if I could have done something differently.” He paused, looking tenderly, through tear-dimmed eyes at the yellow roses he had placed on Meghan’s grave. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you. I came once…when I first left home, but I couldn’t bring myself to get any closer than the gate. I couldn’t bear the thought of you lying here.” Bo sighed as he walked toward the edge of the small cemetery. He grew closer to the bluff overlooking the river. “I’m supposed to be on my way to Hazzard…to meet up with Daisy and Luke at the farm. I’ve been thinking about retiring and just moving back home. I want to try to get some of my old life back…I’m tired, Meggie. I’m so tired of trying to outrun the memories and ‘what could’ve been’…it’s like I’ve been in twenty-year long nightmare and I can’t wake up!” The blond haired man ran his hands through his hair, viciously, and shouted into the wind, “Please, God…please, help me! I don’t know what to do anymore…I just want it all to end!”