by: Kristy Duke

Pain screams loudly within me and I find myself holding my breath as Luke helps me to slowly sit down upon the well used wheelchair that Uncle Jesse holds in place for me. Looking from Luke, who has moved to grab my boots a few feet away, up to Jesse, and at the empty hospital bed that lies besides me, a river of emotions runs through me. Emotions of happiness and excitement at the thought of after a week and a half of being trapped in the hospital bed and tied to machines, of finally being released and able to return to the farm I had grew up at. Though with thoughts of returning home, also means facing Shawn once more only to send dread and fear soaring violently within me with thoughts of what the near future will hold with him at the farm. I sigh heavily as I struggle to shove away the negative emotions only to cough harshly for a short moment to send pain flaring in my lungs and both Jesse and Luke looks at me with concern.

“You OK?” Luke looks up at me after gently placing my left cowboy boot upon my foot and standing back up with my right boot still in his hand.

I nod silently for a moment before the pain forces me to sit still once more. “I’m fine,” I finally gasp aloud, looking beyond Luke and at the closed door. “Let’s go.”

“Well you heard the man, let’s go,” Luke forces a smile at me before motioning Jesse to the door while he rushes over to open the door and Jesse begins to wheel me out into the brightly lit hallway to find Doctor Millard leaning against the hall opposite of the hall of my room

Millard smiles before he walks over to approach us. “Daisy’s got the crutches and the medicine already loaded and ready to go. Now it looks like they got you ready to go as well,” Millard smiles down at me, “Before you leave, how you feel?”

“You asked me that a few minutes ago and nothing has changed,” I snap at him and Jesse places a hand upon my shoulder to redirect my answer, and I slowly continue, “I’m fine.”

“Just making sure,” Millard responds before looking up at Jesse, “feel free to give me a call, day or night, if he gets worse or if you have any questions or concerns. Otherwise it is important to keep upon on his medicines as directed in order for him to heal and to get better sooner; plus without proper attention, his asthma could quickly turn for the worse.” He looks back at me as he directs his last part of advice to me, “With that said, we all know how much you seemed to dislike your stay here. So, in order for you to stay outta here, you’re going to have to take the medicines and to get regular follow ups until Applebee says they’re not needed any more. As well as to get a lot of rest. OK?”

“Yeah. Sure,” I respond, quickly growing impatient with the doctor.

“Well then,” Millard responds, eyeing everyone, “I think that’s everything then. As I said, give me a call with any concerns and so forth.  Y’all take care now. Especially you, Bo.”

I nod as Jesse and Luke give the doctor their good-byes before Jesse begins to slowly wheel me down the hallway with Luke walking besides us. “Daisy’s waiting for us with the truck in the entrance way,” Luke explains as we enter the waiting room, “she’s probably wonderin’ what’s taking us so long.”

We walk the rest of the way to the front door in silence as my thoughts continue to race rapidly within me, from the freedom of the hospital to Shawn at home and what I am or should do about what had happened in the barn over a week ago. Eyeing the truck with Daisy standing on the curb, I finally break the silence to interrupt my own thoughts. “The truck? Why not The General?”

Luke gives a soft laugh besides me. “Jesse didn’t want to have to crawl through the windows for one thing. Another thing is, is it’d be a big trick of getting you into The General with your condition and not hurt you any worse. Think you’re going to have to take a break from The General for a couple more weeks,” Luke responds and Daisy quickly jumps up from resting against the truck as she sees us coming outside, “the truck will make a tight fit, but I think we can make it work.”

“Bo,” Daisy smiles as she leans over to hug me gently, “how you feelin’, sugar?”

I eye her for a long moment and force a weak smile for her. “I’ll be fine,” I manage to say, “I just wanna go home.”

“Well, you’re in luck then,” Jesse finally speaks up from behind me, “because that’s what we’re here to do. To take you home.” He pauses for a long moment. “Daisy why won’t you get into the middle so that we can help Bo in. Luke can sit by the door and I’ll drive. How’s that? Luke’s right, it’ll make for a tight fit, but it’ll have to work.”

Daisy nods and quickly walks over to the truck to climb in tightly next to the driver’s seat while Jesse pushes me to the curb and Luke bends down  to force my arm around his shoulders. He watches Jesse do the same on the other side before asking, “You ready, Bo?”

Swallowing back the gnawing pain within me, I slowly nod at them and as they life me out of the chair, the pain increases within me. “You OK?” Jesse asks as we make it to the truck.

“Yeah,” I slowly reply as I lift my left leg into the truck while gently push me in the rest of the way where I shove myself tightly next to Daisy and watch Luke climbing in next to me before closing the door behind him.

 

*                                              *                                              *

 

Exhaustion heavily hits me as Jesse pulls the old truck to a halt in front of the farm house to reinforce the mixed emotions to swell within me. “We’re here,” Jesse states as he opens the door and looks back at me while Luke opens the door and climbs out his way, “Luke’ll get your crutches for you. Daisy can you grab his bag of medicine off the floor there?”

“Sure thing,” Daisy smiles as she gently reaches over me to grab the bag off of the floor near my feet before sitting back up to climb out of the truck after Jesse.

As I am left alone in the cab of the truck, I slowly force myself to scoot over to the passenger open door while attempting to ignoring the pain that yells once more at me from within. “Here we are,” Luke says as he reappears at the open door with a couple of silver metal crutches and once again, Jesse and him help me out of the truck. Out into the warm afternoon, my eyes slowly fall upon Shawn’s black Mercedes parked proudly to the side, next to The General and out of reflex, my attention goes back to the barn as my thoughts fall back to getting attacked by Shawn. “Let’s get you inside,” Luke breaks my attention as he notices where I am looking, “then you can tell us what happened.”

I eye him hardly before saying, “Give me the crutches. I can do it myself.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to rush things,” Luke questions as we stop at the foot of the stairs leading to the porch and I glance down at my right leg that lies tightly wrapped in a leg brace and unable to bend.

I nod as I pull my arm painfully away from him to reach for the crutches and he sighs in frustration as more concern crosses Jesse’s caring face. Ignoring their worry and hesitancy towards backing off from helping me, I place the crutches under my arms and struggle painfully up the stairs and to the door that Daisy holds open for me. Making my way into the kitchen, my heart comes to a complete halt and I become frozen in place as I find Shawn standing at the sink with a glass of milk in his hands. “Well I see they released you today as they planned,” he grins and I notice a fading hint of a bruise upon his right eye, his forehead where he hit his head lies a deep cut and bruise. “How you feel, Bo?”

Feeling Jesse, Daisy, and Luke behind me, I breathe in painfully and slowly as I attempt to reign in my emotions towards Shawn, knowing I can’t let anything slip about what had happened a week and a half ago. “Tired of everyone asking that stupid question,” I hiss out and Jesse once again places a firm hand upon my shoulder and I shrug it off, “I’m fine.”

Shawn nods.

“Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll get you something to eat?” Jesse finally asks, changing the subject. When I go to protest against it, he points sternly to a chair that Luke pushes back for me and I sigh heavily before slowly making my way to the chair to find it difficult to sit down with the brace. Sitting down, Jesse nods at me as Daisy moves past him to the refrigerator in order to get something for me to eat.

“Bo,” Luke states as he pulls out another chair and moves it to face me, his face full of worry, “I know you don’t want to talk about it for some reason or another, but you can’t keep running from what had happened. In order for me to prevent that monster to return and hurt you farther or anyone else in Hazzard, I need to know what had happened. What the guy looked like. We’ve looked at the barn and so far, we haven’t gotten much information about what had happened or who would have done this to you. Or why.” He pauses for a long moment as he runs his hand through his hair in thought, “In other words, we need your side of the story in order for me to get whoever did this to you.”

I fight the urge to glare up at Shawn, I keep my attention at Luke as the urgency to tell him the truth begins to bud deeply within me. Remembering Shawn’s threat, I stubbornly respond, “I can’t remember what happened. I just remember walking out there to check on something and then waking up at the hospital.”

“Please Bo. I am begging you. I can’t just sit here and let that guy get away with what he did to you. I can’t,” he pleads me as his frustration towards my answer begins to show. Breathing out he looks up at Shawn, pointing at Shawn he continues, “If what he did to you wasn’t bad enough,” he shakes his head in anger, “the guy that attacked you in the barn, attacked Shawn in town the day after your attack.  Shawn didn’t get a look at his face, but only his back. We got hair color and height. The rest is up to you, Bo.”

I fight back the strong urge to laugh aloud as Luke explains that Shawn had gotten attacked by the same person who had attacked me in the barn while swallowing back the sarcastic response that immediately comes to mind. ‘Shawn beat his own sorry self up?’ Only to have questions build within me of what Luke is talking about and why Shawn would make up a story of the guy attacking him in town the next day. The only explanation that seems to make the most sense is that he had a friend beat him up to back up his story of him walking in on the guy beating me up. Finally, I state, “I can’t remember what he looked like. Or what happened. I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

He breathes out deeply as he quickly stands up in frustration and he walks over to me to come to an abrupt halt. “You’re lying, Bo. As I said in the hospital, you make a horrible liar,” he boldly state and with this I steal a glance at Shawn who watches it all with interest. Luke continues, “but I guess I can’t make you tell me the truth. Just know I’m here for you when you are ready to talk about it or need any help.”

I watch Luke walk back to Shawn and guilt rushes within me at lying to him so boldly, but try to remind myself that I have a good reason for doing so. “We’re all here for you, Bo,” Daisy states as she places down a plate with a sandwich and chips on it while Jesse places a glass of water on the table for me.

“Thank-you,” I nod at both of them before I pick up the sandwich and force myself to take a bite despite not being hungry at all.

“You eat that and we’ll start your medicine as directed and get you off to bed,” Jesse says, his voice firm and offers little room to disagree, “Shawn used your bed while you were at the hospital, but Daisy washed your bedding for you, so it should be ready for your return. Shawn will have to settle with the couch once more.”

It goes silent for a long moment as my stomach churns at the thought of Shawn sleeping in my room, in my bed while I was away. “Thanks for the use of your bed, Bo,” Shawn speaks up for the first time, “it was nice and comfortable. But I’ll be glad to give it back to you now that you’re back. The couch is comfortable as well. I am just grateful for your hospitality while I’m here. Much better than the Notel Motel in town.”

“Anything’s better than the Notel Motel,” Daisy states as she walks over and gives him a hug, “and we’re glad to have you here; for however long you are here.”

Shawn nods. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I really don’t have a plan as of yet when I will return…I have an open ended vacation at work due to all the time I saved up,” he pauses, “I just don’t want to overcome my welcome with any of you. That includes you, too, Bo.”

I eye him harshly before I force a nod at him and turn around to face the plate on the table, attempting to ignore him while taking another bite of the sandwich. “You’ll never overcome your welcome. You’re always welcome here,” Luke states as he moves back and sits back down next to me, his frustration at me has disappeared for now.

 

***UNCLE JESSE***

 

Staring through the small gap in the door way into the darkened room, I silently listen in as my thoughts and emotions swirl harshly within me to force tears into my eyes once more. Thoughts of all that has happened over the past week and a half; from finding Bo lying on the ground in the barn covered in blood to the news at the hospital and the startling news of the same guy attacking Shawn only a day later. Thoughts of the week and a half of traveling to and from the hospital to be with Bo and fluctuating health; where his breathing would get better before getting worse before it had gotten strong enough for two days before they had given him the word to go. Thoughts that only sends my emotions raging from fear, worry, sadness, and intense anger towards the person who had done this to my youngest nephew. Only to bring back the question of why once more. Why would anyone want to hurt Bo for? And so badly?

Sighing heavily, I take in Bo’s shadowy figure that lies silently upon his old bed while his wheezy and raspy breathing echoes off the thin walls; loudly describing how painful his breathing is for him as well as hard it is for him to breathe. Hard for him that is so easy to others, taken for granted for others; something Bo had never taken for granted . Thanks to his parents’ bad choices while his mother was pregnant. Thinking of the past only escalates my anger within me and I slowly step away from the boys’ bed room to slowly walk back into the living room where Luke sits restlessly upon the couch with the newspaper open on his lap while Daisy and Shawn are heard from the kitchen talking.

“He asleep?” Luke asks without looking up.

I nod silently at first before saying, “Yeah, he’s asleep.”

The room goes silent for a long moment before Luke abruptly throws the paper down on the cushion besides him to quickly stand up while he runs his hand through his thick hair, frustration set in his eyes. “Damn it,” he hisses finally, “Shawn’s right.” He goes silent as he makes his way to the window before continuing, “whoever did that to Bo, is long gone by now. Could be in Africa for all we know. If only Bo would open and talk about it. . .” Luke goes silent once more, his back turned to me.

“And maybe he’s still in Hazzard,” I state, trying to stay positive, “and for some reason, Bo doesn’t want to talk about it. Maybe he was threatened. Maybe it is easier for him to move forward by not talking about it. He has his reasons and the more you press him for what had happened, the more upset you are getting him.” I pause as I walk over to him, “I know you’re going to hate hearing this or having to accept it, but I think for the time being, it is in Bo’s best interest if we are there for him. To help out whenever possible. And to stop worrying about who did this to him, at least until Bo is willing and able to talk about it.”
“Damn right I don’t like it and I ain’t going to accept it either. That thing is out there somewhere,” he points through the window, “living free to do as he pleases while Bo continues to be trapped and hold prisoner by his pain that he inflicted upon Bo. Shawn may be right, but I am NOT going to just give up and do nothing about it. As long as there is still some hope of that guy being in Hazzard, I am going to search and not give up. I promised Bo I’d be there for him, protect him from things like this. And,” he pauses as he looks at me and backs away from me, “I have failed him. Bo may not want to talk about it, and I guess I’ll have to accept that, but I am not going to stop looking and searching for the guy that did that to him until I am convinced that there is no hope in finding him.” He looks back at me with hurt filled eyes. “I’m surprised that you’d be so willing to forget about who did this to Bo, just to allow him to get away with it all.”

I shake my head sadly at him. “You know me better than that Luke. There is nothing more that I want right now than for Bo to get better and for that jerk that did that to him to pay for what he did to Bo. To know that he is behind bars for years paying for what he did to Bo,” I go silent, my thoughts return to Bo asleep in his room and the horror he has lived with and the nightmares that has plagued his sleep since then. The strong yearning that screams in his eyes to talk about what had happened, yet remains so adamant against talking about it, sticking with his story of not remembering what had happened. Only to make me wonder why he’s refusing to talk about it, only to come to the same conclusion that Luke has; he’s been threatened not to tell.  “All I am saying is that, at the moment, Bo needs us. And at the moment, his need is more important than our need to seek justice for whoever did this to him.”

He sighs and nods in frustration. “I know,” he finally resigns as he eyes the small hallway that leads back to the room that he shares with Bo, “I just feel so helpless seeing him like this…if there was something I could do. I don’t know.”

“Being there for him like you are is what he needs and you are doing something. Just not what you think you should be doing,” I pause as I walk over to place a comforting hand upon his shoulder, “And to go back to what you said a moment ago, you haven’t failed him. I don’t think that, Bo doesn’t think that, no one thinks that, but you. You are being hard on yourself. There is no way you could have saw that coming nor could you be with him twenty-four seven in order to protect him from everything. Perhaps if he went to Kristy’s with us, this wouldn’t have happened. Then again, it could have happened at a different day, a different time where he wouldn’t be lucky enough to have Shawn walk in on it to scare the guy away. Where he wouldn’t have been saved and we’d be visiting his grave right now instead of worrying about his breathing and his pain.”

His eyes grow alert in surprise. “What you are talking about? You think that the attack on Bo was planned? That someone intentionally hid in the barn to beat him to death?” he questions, “I never thought of it that way…always assumed he walked in on whoever was in the barn. Though,” he pauses thoughtfully, “it makes more sense that it was planned. I mean there was nothing in there that anyone would want to steal not alone kill for. But who would want to kill Bo? And why?”

I watch him momentarily. “I don’t know what I think what had happened. I was just listing possibilities that could have happened if Bo had came with us to Kristy’s,” I state slowly. “But I guess that is something we’re going to have to think about and consider.”

“Damn,” Luke pauses heavily as a wave of fear crosses his face, “if that’s the case, that guy still may be in Hazzard. If so, he’d know he didn’t kill Bo. Which means, Bo could still be in danger.”

A wave of nausea rushes over me as all that he had just stated hits me hardly and fear explodes within me. “I never thought of that,” I state slowly before I look up to notice Shawn standing still in the doorway of the kitchen, watching and listening into our conversation and my thoughts turn to how upset his presence had upset Bo when he first came to the farm over two weeks ago. “What you think had happened, Shawn? I guess we never asked what you thought happened before you scared the guy away. . .”

Luke slowly turns around to eye Shawn who looks nervously at us for a long moment, almost in surprise at getting caught standing there and listening in. “I was pretty sure Bo had walked in on him and startled him,” he stutters to send questions through me, “but I guess I never put too much thought into it. When I came back to the barn and saw Bo, I guess I lost concentration on everything else that had happened.”

“Then how are you sure Bo had walked in and startled him and that he wasn’t there waiting for Bo?” Luke throws back at him and I am surprised to hear strong accusation in his voice towards the guy who he had considered his best friend, his only other best friend other than Bo.

Shawn shakes his head as he eyes me nervously and back to Luke. “I guess I don’t. I just assumed,” Shawn states, “Jesse asked me what I thought had happened and I just told you how I saw it. As I said, he ran off when he heard me pull up, therefore, I didn’t see what he was doing. Or what happened to Bo. But I think the blood and his condition pretty much explains what happened to him. He beat him up…and good. I guess I was thinking,” he pauses for a moment, “that if someone was in there waiting for Bo, to kill Bo, don’t you think the attacker would have shot Bo? Or stabbed him? To go after someone with the thought of beating them to death in their own barn and in the middle of the day, it only invites the fear and worry of someone walking in on them. Or of Bo not dying as he didn’t. There’s too big of a risk when it comes to beating someone to death. Much easier and better to just shoot him to kill him, to get it over with and get out of there.”

Luke reluctantly nods. “You’ve got a point. But someone breaking into the barn don’t make much sense either. To me the idea of someone hiding out there to kill Bo makes more sense,” Luke pauses, “I just wish Bo would at least tell us one way or another. Now there is no way of knowing what it is. . .if someone tried to kill Bo, then that someone could still be in Hazzard and awaiting another chance to do so. Damn,” he cusses again before going silent, his eyes fixated upon the partially closed door of their room. Looking back at us, he says, “I don’t care what is going on, I think it best if someone would be with Bo…no matter what. At least for now. It may not offer much help, but at least someone else is there with him.”

I slowly nod as my own worry and fear deepens within me and I casually glance over at Shawn as my thoughts abruptly turn to him and his timing of his arrival. All the problems that has been occurring, from the robbery at the Boar’s Nest and Bo’s beating, didn’t happen until after his arrival in Hazzard. As my thoughts turn to wonder and suspicion of Shawn, I quickly grow ashamed at myself for thinking that of him. Shawn has always been respectful, nice, and trustworthy; except for towards or with Bo…

I shake head at myself. Shawn and Bo may not get along with one another, but deep down, I know he wouldn’t do a thing like this to him or anyone. Whoever did that to Bo is someone cold and heartless. Shawn is anything but cold and heartless. . .

“Precaution is good,” Shawn states as I look back at him and he looks at his watch, “I’ve got to go meet Shane. I promised him I’d help work on that car of his that keeps breaking down. I’ll be by in a couple of hours.”

“OK. See you then, Shawn,” Luke states and I slowly wave as I watch him confidently walk through the living room and back into the kitchen before the spring door slams shut. A minute or so later his car starts up to loudly drive out of the drive way and Daisy appears in the doorway of the kitchen where Shawn had been standing only minutes ago. “You’d think with how much he goes to his brother’s, that he’d stay there instead of here.” Luke breaks the silence.

“You jealous that he goes to his brother’s house to visit, Luke?” Daisy questions, “If you ask me, he spends more time here than there. Of course that may be because he sleeps on the couch…but I still don’t see what the issue is.”

Luke gives her a hard look. “There is no problem. Just made a statement is all,” Luke finally says before breathing out, “and for your information, I am not jealous -” Luke is quickly interrupted as Bo lets out a loud cry of pain before he loudly begins to cough in an asthma attack to break the silence that had came from his room only moments ago. “Bo,” Luke whispers as he quickly walks past me to leave Daisy and I quickly following him through the small hallway and to their door where he quickly shoves it open and turns on the lights. As we follow him into their small room, we find Bo covered in sweat and attempting to sit up as his thin chest heaves heavily in and out in his struggle for air. His coughing quickly resides into loud painful gasping as he no longer gets enough oxygen to be coughing as he was a minute ago. “Bo,” I hear Luke whisper again as he sits upon the edge of Bo’s bed to gently help him sit up where he looks up at me with pain-filled and fear-filled blue watery eyes. “OK Bo,” Luke says gently to grab Bo’s attention back to him as he grabs Bo’s highly medicated inhaler off of the nightstand besides the bed, “I’m going to help you. You ready?”

Bo begins to nod slowly before he allows Luke to help place the mouth piece into his mouth where he forcefully shoves the top down to push a puff of medicine into Bo’s mouth. Luke takes the inhaler out of Bo’s mouth where Bo painfully begins to inhale and exhale five times, bringing tears of pain rolling down his pale cheeks. After five breathes, Luke puts the inhaler back into his mouth to start again. After five long rounds of one puff to five deep breathes, Luke places the inhaler back upon the nightstand and our attention remains on Bo who’s thin chest continues to rise forcefully, his breathing forceful and wheezy, but seemingly manageable for the moment. “How’s that?” Luke finally asks skeptically to break the silence, “How you feel?”

“I’m fine,” Bo says wheezily before looking away, “thanks.”

Luke places a comforting hand upon Bo’s shoulder to force his attention back onto Luke and then onto us. “Hey, we’re all here to help. Anyway we can,” Luke speaks up, “we’re here for you buddy. “

Bo nods silently as a look of exhaustion covers his face, the exhaustion that normally follows one of his attacks only to express worry of creating another attack if and when he does go back to sleep. “Why don’t you get up and we can get you something to drink,” I pause as I glance down at my pocket watch and am surprised to see how long he had slept, “and look at that, it’s time for some medicine.”

Bo quietly looks around at everyone before he nods and Daisy quickly hands him his crutches while Luke helps him up to send me wondering for how long Bo will allow all the extra help we’ve been giving him since he was released from the hospital. Bo’s too stubborn to accept it for much longer. “OK,” he finally breaks his silence as he slowly walks out of the room with the help of the crutches  and we follow him back to the kitchen where he sits back down on the chair he had sat on earlier and still remains shoved out from before.

 

***GARRETT DUKE***

 

Anger and frustration steadily rips through my numb body as I sit silently upon my parked motorcycle within the thick wooded area that lies several feet across the road from the Duke farm house. Anger and frustration directed heavily towards Shawn Graham and the awkward situation that he has abruptly placed me in by his own stupidity of attempting to hide his stolen money from Landon and the rest of the gang. Even more stupidly, he was bold enough to open the damn brief case within the Duke barn where he was planning on hiding it at. And now I’ve been dedicated to watch over him to make sure he doesn’t do anything else stupid and that he does what he is supposed to do; his official babysitter.

Though, deep down, I know there is a whole lot more that is making me angry and frustrated than just being assigned Shawn’s babysitter as I had allowed Landon to believe. Deep hatred and anger clogs heavily within me towards Shawn for what he had done to Bo when he had walked into his own barn to see Shawn’s stolen money.  Anger and fear directed at Shawn for the harsh and violent threat he had given to Bo for an incentive not to tell anyone what he saw or who beat him up so badly. Only to leave me believing that when they all are done with Hazzard and go to move onto other things, that Shawn will carry out the threat he had given to Bo no matter what Bo does. They don’t leave witnesses and the plain fact that Bo has seen the money to know that Shawn isn’t legit and that he’s staying with them, makes them all witnesses.  Leaving me to worry where that will leave me at the end of things as well as wondering what I can or should do with what I already know.

“Damn it,” I cuss aloud in frustration as my thoughts continue to focus upon the meeting I had with Landon a couple of weeks ago, after Bo had been so badly beaten. I have never gotten along with Bo or seen eye to eye with any one else that resides in the farm house several feet away, fact is, I find myself highly disliking them all for various reasons. Especially Bo. Perhaps I’d have enjoyed the fact that Bo got himself beaten up so badly if he had lost the fight fairly and if the threat hadn’t been placed to execute everyone else. But Shawn had taken advantage of Bo’s asthma attack to beat him almost to death and Bo wasn’t given the chance, that everyone deserves, to defend himself. All to exclaim how much of a coward Shawn is. Despite how I feel towards Bo and the rest of his family, it continues to harshly angers me towards Shawn for what he had done to them and is continuing to do to them. All because Shawn got greedy and Bo walked into his own barn. . .

Movement from across the street abruptly catches my attention and I look up to find Luke walking out of the front door before holding the door open for Shawn who follows Luke down the few stairs and to The General. Leaning back in my seat, I slowly grab a cigarette from my inside pocket of my black leather coat before grabbing the lighter to light my cigarette. Inhaling heavily, I shake my head in mild amusement as I watch Luke slide what looks to be keys across the hood of The General and Shawn accepts them with a wild grin as he climbs behind the wheel of The General. ‘If only Luke knew it was Shawn that had almost killed Bo. . .’ the thought continues to run through my head as I watch as Shawn loudly backs out of their parking spot to speed out of the drive way, turning right. Watching The General drive out of sight, I silently begin to wonder how Luke, Jesse, Cooter, and Daisy could remain so oblivious to who Shawn has became since moving to Atlanta; of who Shawn is and what he’s doing to Bo. Or so oblivious that Shawn is only using them to gain cover from any heat that may arise from their robbery and murder in Atlanta. Of how cold of a person Shawn really is. If only they’d open their eyes and had listened to Bo when he was free to tell them how Shawn is, they wouldn’t  have trusted Shawn at the farm. Instead they seemed to have traded their open trust they had for Bo and given it to Shawn who has accepted it greedily, leaving Bo to face his demons alone.

Staring at the old farm house that remains in dire need of a new roof and a new paint job, I abruptly accept the fact that I need to do something to help them in some way, in some way that won’t tip off Landon as well. With all the cameras and bugs that Shawn had planted in The General and around the farm, it leaves me with little options of what I can do. As a small plan begins to form in my mind, I quickly throw my half lit cigarette on the ground and stomp it out before kicking back my kick stand and starting my motorcycle up to quickly drive out of my hiding place and across the street and place it into park besides Jesse’s dirty truck.  Placing the kickstand back down, I stiffly stand up to slowly walk up the few stairs and onto the old porch that loudly cracks from my weight as I make it to the door.

For a long moment, I stare at the closed door while nervously thinking of the small idea I had spontaneously came up with by watching the silent house, trying to weight my options.  Abruptly, the wooden door squeaks open to grab my attention and as the door is fully opened, I find myself looking up at Jesse Duke who smiles warmly at me through the old screen door. “Well,” Jesse begins to say and I step back as he steps forward to open the screen door for me while motioning me to walk in with his free hand. I force a nervous smile at him as I quickly step in and walk past him. Silently closing the screen door, he steps away to leave the wooden door open before stopping to look back at me. “the door won’t open on it’s own. You’d be there an awful long time just staring at it,” Jesse finally finishes his statement as he glances behind him for a short moment before questionably looking back at me, “It’s great seeing you, Garrett. It’s been awhile since I remember seeing you last. Sad, we live in the same town and yet we seldom see each other.”

‘There’s a reason for that,’ the sarcastic thought loudly yells within me. Instead, I offer him a small smile while placing my hands in my pockets before responding, “Yeah, it’s been awhile. Guess Boss has kept me busy at work along with other things.”

Jesse nods silently, the warm look that had momentarily crossed his face has seemed to have melted away into an saddened look as he seems to lose himself in thought. After a long moment, he looks back at me with saddened eyes as he attempts to offer me another warm smile. “Well, I know you didn’t come all this way to talk to an old man,” he finally states, “so I’m assuming you’re here for Bo?”

For a long moment, I silently take in the old farm’s kitchen and into the darkened living room that lies beyond the kitchen before I look back at Jesse who leans against the back of the kitchen chair that is seated at the head of the table. “Yeah, I guess I am,” I finally respond, dreading hearing myself admit to be looking for my twin brother. Twin brother, yet are a lot more different than we are alike.

Jesse nods in understanding for a short moment yet remains where he is. “Well,” he finally starts to send irritation within me towards him for taking so long to get to the point. “he’s taking a nap right now.” He goes silent as he gives me an apologetic look before he stands up to look over his shoulder and back at me. “If it is really important, I could go get him for you, but I’d rather him -”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” I quickly interrupt him, “I just wanted to see how he was doing and all since he came home yesterday and all. I think I’ll use the restroom real quick and be on my way.”

Jesse nods as he steps back to let me pass him. “Sorry that you missed him. He’ll be glad to hear you stopped by,” he slowly states as I reach the entry way to the living room before stopping as he continues, “as for how he is,” he pauses for a short moment and the saddened look in his eyes seem to deepen, “it varies from time to time. He seems to be in a lot of pain and his asthma has been acting up and he seems to waken up about every time with nightmares.” Jesse sadly shakes his head, “But according to his doctors, it is all to be expected. As they say, time will heal all things.”

I nod as my thoughts return to Shawn and Landon’s explanation of all that had happened in the barn and I once more begin to wonder how they’ll react once they learn that it was Shawn that enforced all that pain on Bo. Feeling myself running my right index finger tracing my thick and deep scar on the right side of my neck, I quickly yank my hand down as my thoughts turn back to my past and to the fight that I had almost been killed in so many years ago.  “Time heals,” I force myself to say and quickly turn around as I find him looking at my scar.

Walking into the shadow covered living room, I find myself walking over to Jesse’s metal desk before turning around to find Jesse walking out of sight and farther into the kitchen. A moment later, I hear him begin to put dishes away that was stacked in the drainer. Sighing heavily, I slowly glance back at the desk to grab a medium sized notepad and a pen that was thrown into the middle of the desk. Carrying the notepad and pen, I silently walk down the first hall and quietly walk into the small bathroom to shut the door behind me. I slowly glance around the small room that holds an old shower, a toilet, a sink with cupboards underneath it and a large mirror over the sink. Next to the sink lines an empty wall that leads to the bathtub slash shower that is lined with three sets of double hooks. Each hook holds a towel on one of the hooks with their pajamas on the other hook. Though old, it is neatly decorated and cleaned. Also the one place I know of on the farm that Shawn couldn’t place a camera in, but had only bugged. Nodding, I place the notepad on the sink and begin to quickly write something on the first empty page before silently and slowly ripping the paper out from the wire rings.

For a short moment, I eye my sloppy hand writing before I fold it up three times before I loudly flush the toilet for sound affect and put the water on a moment later; to allow it to run a couple of minutes. With the water running, I slowly walk to the hooks and quickly distinguish which hook is Jesse’s and Daisy’s and is left wondering which one is Luke’s and Bo’s before coming to the pant that look to be a little longer than the other to guess them to be Bo’s. Holding the folded paper tightly, I silently shove the paper deeply into the right side pocket of Bo’s thin pajama pants before dropping it and walking over to the sink to quickly turn it off before turning off the lights.

Breathing deeply, I slowly walk out of the bathroom and through the hallway and back into the dark living room before stepping back into the lighted kitchen. “Thanks Jesse,” I nod at him as he looks back from the dishes, “tell Bo, I said hi.”

“Will do, Garrett,” Jesse nods at me before I slowly turn around to walk back into the late afternoon’s sun to quickly walk back to my motorcycle.

 

*                              *                              *                              *                              *                              *

 

“Garrett,” Landon’s voice is calm as I step through the front door yet as I look up, anger and worry plague his hardened face to send my thoughts to the short warning note I had wrote Bo. Instinctively, I know he has no way of knowing what I had done, yet my own knowledge is enough to send my thoughts to last week and what he had done to Shawn.

Swallowing hard, I slowly close the door behind me and as I step forward my eyes land upon Shawn who is sitting at a table in the corner polishing and loading several guns. “Landon,” I turn my attention to Landon and give him a short nod as I pull my hard box of cigarettes out of my pocket to grab a cigarette out with my lighter. “want a cigarette?” I offer him and he only stares hardly at me as his hands remain deeply buried in his pockets. I shrug while I light my cigarette and place the box and lighter back into my pocket before exhaling the smoke that hangs over our heads like a large cloud for a long moment. “What seems to be the problem?” I finally ask.

“What seems to be the problem is the fact that Shawn came back a half hour before you did and the fact that my guys watched you walk into the Duke farm through our cameras that Shawn here planted on the Duke farm. As well as heard your conversation with the old man from the bugs planted in the kitchen,” Landon begins pacing in front of me.

“Yeah, so?” I shrug slowly as I feel my nerves slowly relax a bit, “What’s the problem with that?”

Landon stops his pacing abruptly in front of me. “My problem is in the fact that you’ve stopped and visited your family which happens to be my new found enemy!” he snaps harshly at me before he glares over at Shawn, “Thanks to Shawn over there.” He says in a half whisper.

I shrug calmly at him, refusing to show any emotion to him. “Sorry you have a problem with my family, Landon, but what am I suppose to do? Just ignore them? Now, if you would want to draw suspicion towards me with them, that’d be the way to do it,” I finally respond sarcastically, hoping he buys into my lie. If my visit to the Duke farm did anything it would draw the suspicion that I had claimed my ignoring them would be since I have never went there on my own, until now. Kristy and her kids have been there the few times I’ve stopped by their farm, until now. Fact is, if I chose not to go there due to my involvement with Shawn or Landon, no one would think twice about it. “Now you all heard and saw all that I did,” I blow smoke out in his face, “so you tell me, what’d I do that was is so upsetting to you?”

Landon stares hardly at me for a long moment before pushing me away and begins pacing the floor once more. “Shawn here tells me his friend, your cousin, has told him how you and Bo don’t get along. Why all the sudden interest in him and how he feels?” Landon quickly asks, his hands going back into his pockets.

I take a silent moment to inhale on my cigarette, buying time to come up with a reasonable answer before exhaling. “I may not get along with him or care much for him, but that don’t mean I approve of what he did to him,” I point Shawn with my half lit cigarette, “I just thought I’d stop by and see for myself all the damage your punk did to him. Not that it matters any. “

Landon slowly nods. “You don’t get along with many people, do you? Not your twin brother or his family, which would be your family,” Landon stops in front of me, “nor with Shawn. With your attitude, I see why.” Landon laughs slowly shaking his head, “You’re my kind of guy, Garrett. You’ll fit in great with us.”

I let go a deep breath I had been holding in as I throw the butt of my cigarette on the floor and slowly step on it with my leather boot. “I thought I might,” I slowly respond as I watch Darrell and another guy confidently walk up to where we stand.

“The van’s ready Boss,” Darrell speaks up as he eyes me with hardened eyes before looking back at Landon and asks in a half whisper, “You’re trusting this idiot with this? If you ask me, bring Shawn along. So he messed up, so what? He’s been a liable asset to our team and we -”

“I didn’t ask you!” Landon yells to interrupt him, “Shawn messed up and is not to be trusted. At least as long as we are in his hick town! Garrett has proved himself trustworthy of our team and if you are going to question him, then you can be out. How’s that?”

Darrell raises his hands in surrender. “You’re the boss, Boss. If you want him in, the idiot’s in,” Darrell says as he glares hardly at me, “welcome aboard, idiot.”

Breathing in deeply, I quickly walk past Landon to grab onto Darrell’s shirt and rush him backwards until I shove him harshly into the wall and a small gasp of pain escapes Darrell. “What you call me?” I snarl at him as I shove my hands upwards to his neck to begin choking him against the wall, “You want to repeat that?” he shake his head under my pressure as his hand claw at my wrists, “Didn’t think you would. Next time you want to return to your kindergarten games of name calling, make sure the person isn’t stronger than you!” With that I harshly shove him away and he falls to the ground and his hands instinctively goes to his neck where he begins to rub it where it is now brightly red.

“Well now that we got that settled,” Landon states as he walks over to help Darrell up, “go back and get rested up. Tell the rest to do the same, but just make sure the van is properly guarded and loaded. The van leaves base at midnight tonight.”

He nods quietly before he eyes me with hateful eyes before he turns and walks back down the hall that he had came from. “I can only ignore so much,” I finally state as Landon faces me and he nods in understanding, “What’s this about the van leaving at midnight?”

“You’re going to love this…it’ll be your test,” he smiles at me as he leans back against the wall, “You see, Garrett, the last few days we’ve been sitting around, not doing much of anything. And not doing anything, well, it gets me a little edgy. Makes me nervous. And with your brother walking in on Shawn as he did, that makes me even more nervous,” he pauses as he takes a step closer to me before he places a hand upon my shoulder, “Well, Shawn here kinda restored himself this morning. Not saying all is forgiven and forgotten, but he’s on the right path to it,” he pauses again to look back at Shawn who watches with interest. Turning back to me, Landon continues, “Shawn informed me that Commissioner Hogg is the richest man in town here and came up with this plan that I think will help calm my nerves while we work on what to do with Bo. Tonight when everyone is in bed, around midnight, you and the others will load up in our old van that we use in such occasions as this,” he slowly continues to fill me in on their plan of what we are to do tonight, confidence thick in his voice. Finishing with the plan he asks, “You got it? You think you can do it?”

I nod as adrenaline heavily floods within me at hearing his plan that sends my thoughts thickly to the past of when I had been with my gang and had done a few things similar. Taking a deep breath in order to hide my excitement of his plan, I slowly respond, “Of course I can do it. I can do it better than any of your other guys can do it.”

“Good. I thought you could,” he nods before he starts pacing the floor nervously again, “Shawn is here with me so he is in no need of a babysitter at the moment. So you are free, but I want to see you here by eleven so we can go over the plan again before sending you all off. I’ll give you a call if I need you before then.”

I nod slowly as I find Shawn giving me a cold look before I quickly turn away to slowly walk back out into the warm afternoon sun to make my way back to my motorcycle.

 

 

***BO DUKE***

 

Exhaustion heavily melts over my weak body as I silently stare at my reflection that lies in the large oval sink that hangs over the bathroom sink, taking in my fading bruises. Fading bruises that continue to scream at me of what had happened or what will happen if I were to open my mouth and let the truth slip out. Chills heavily cross my numb body as my thoughts flash back to my nightmares that I’ve been plagued with. Not of the beating as everyone expects they are from, but of scenes of me being tied up and being forced to watch Shawn painfully killing the rest of my family. Only to send my attention back down at the small piece of paper that is gripped tightly in my right hand and fear paralyzes me once more as I reread the sketchy handwriting.  Silently, I read the small note over and over again that reads:

Bo – this is your warning! Don’t do anything or say anything stupid! They’ve got eyes and ears planted where ever you may go. You are now warned! (If you knew what’s best for you, you’d shred this note once you read it and not say a word to ANYONE!)

Eyes and ears planted where I may go. More icy chills rush up and down my body as my mind runs over the implications it screams at me, of my current situation. Only to send questions rippling through me of who and why. Who knew about the threat and why would they send me a letter of warning? The only answer that rings back to me is Shawn, but his hatred for me runs deep ever since I’ve known him. Despite his friendship with Luke, it is clear to me of the cold hard truth he had spoken in the barn to me on how he had always looked for a way to finish me off and to get me out of the way. He wouldn’t have wrote the note of warning, but would have enjoyed watching me step into his sticky trap that the note has warned that had been planted for me. But if not Shawn, then who? The handwriting seems vaguely familiar yet know it isn’t Luke’s, Daisy’s, or Jesse’s.

Sighing heavily to enforce a flame of pain within my lungs, I silently reread the note one more time, taking in the sloppy and quick handwriting for a long moment; taking in each word as I read along. Finish reading the warning note, I gently lean against the bathroom counter to take the pressure off of my throbbing leg before I forcefully fold the note in half and tightly press against the folded part of the paper. As I begin to rip the paper, a loud banging on the closed wooden door penetrates through the thick silence that had built within the bathroom to force me to stop ripping the paper in surprise. “Hey Bo,” Luke’s worried voice is quick to follow the knock, “you OK?”

I glance at the folded paper in my hand, silently wondering what Luke would do if he were in my position before I quickly shake the thought away. Luke wouldn’t have been dumb enough to follow Shawn to the barn or to step on the twig that had collected Shawn’s surprised attention on me that cold rainy day. Luke wouldn’t have been caught off guard as I had been nor would he have allowed Shawn to beat him up as badly as I had allowed Shawn to do to me. Luke wouldn’t be in the position I find myself in, he’s too smart, quick, and tough to be where I am now. If I were Luke. . .

The bronze door handle slowly begins to move to send my heart to an fearful halt. “No…no,” I hear myself say, looking down at the folded note in my hand, “I’m fine, Luke.” I force out and the handle goes still once more, the door remaining closed. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Luke allows a short moment of silence to build between us before he finally says, “Are you sure, buddy? You’ve been in there for awhile.”

I silently nod as I take in my reflection in the mirror once more, taking in my bruised face and bare chest before I glance down at my bare feet and on the heavy leg brace that is wrapped around my right pajama pant leg. I had been getting dressed and ready for bed when the note had fallen out of the inside of my pants when I tried putting them on; also meaning that whoever wrote the note knew which pajamas were mine and not Luke’s.  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I finally respond, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Well,” Luke slowly states, his voice unsure and unbelieving, “OK, but if you’re not out here in five minutes, I’ll be back to check on you again.”

I nod silently at myself, staring down at the folded piece of paper in my hand once more as I listen to his footsteps slowly walking away from the door, getting softer and gaining more distance from the door with each step.  Sighing heavily and feeling the pain grow within me, my mind returns the bold words wrote on the paper, of the warning that someone had sent me. Of what I should do about it. Only to send my thoughts back to Shawn’s bold threats and the nightmares they have casted over me. If only I could talk to Luke, he’d know what to do…the thought screams repeatedly within me. I find myself shaking my head at myself in saddened thought that even if I could show him the letter and tell him of Shawn’s threat, he would most likely not believe me, but would come up with an excuse to cover for Shawn. Like he had in the past. In Luke’s eyes, Shawn is and was always infallible, fun, and exciting to be with; if I tried to say what Shawn did to me, I was making things up or I was just jealous of Shawn and the time he was spending with Luke.

As the hall outside of the bathroom fades into complete silence, I quickly take the folded paper in both hands and rip it in half, the paper tears loudly in the silence of the bathroom before placing the torn sheets together and ripping it again. After several times of tearing the paper into small pieces, I slowly limp a couple of steps over to the end of the counter to drop the shredded paper into the metal garbage pail on the floor. I stare at it in thought for a short moment before I painfully reach down to pick the pail up to stick my arm into it to begin covering the shredded paper up with the tissue and other garbage that was already in there before gently placing it back on the floor.

I silently return to the sink where I quickly wash them while staring back at myself in the mirror, silently asking myself what I should do about Shawn or about the note. Only to come up with the harsh bitter answer of, nothing. To do nothing about what was said or done in the barn or about the warning note. To do nothing and just hope that nothing else happens while Shawn is at the farm or in Hazzard. To do something would be to endanger my family…

“Damn it,” I cuss silently as I slowly pull myself away from the sink to grab my crutches that leans on the wall near the door before I slowly open the wooden door. Slowly, walking out of the bathroom, I find myself face to face with Luke who eyes me with worried eyes. I attempt to put a smile on for him before saying, “It’s all your’s.”

He rolls his eyes at me as he places a caring hand gently upon my shoulder. “That’s not what I want,” he slowly states as Shawn’s voice is heard from the kitchen to be followed by Jesse’s. “You OK? I want the truth.”

“Truthfully, I’m fine,” I answer, gripping tightly onto the bar of the crutch as my exhaustion quickly accelerates within me, “I just had a little trouble taking the brace off and putting it back on again. I’m fine.”

He eyes me questionably. “Well OK,” he states as he removes his hand from my shoulder, “you just had us all worried and all.” He goes silent for a long thoughtful moment. “I really wish you’d say who did this to you. I mean whoever did this to you is out there running free while you’re trapped with your nightmares and the pain. I just want to get who did this to you and make him pay -”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Luke. End of story,” I bluntly state, Shawn’s threat once again echoing in my mind to send my thoughts to vividly return to the nightmares once more.

Luke reluctantly nods. “Yeah OK,” he finally states, “Well, I’m here whenever you want to talk about it. Or need to talk about it.”

“So you’ve said. And I appreciate it,” I slowly state, leaning against the wall; silently wishing I would just wake up to find all of this to be a bad dream and for it to go away.

He slowly nods again as he forces a sad smile. “OK,” he states as he places another comforting hand upon my shoulder, “I’m going out with Shawn tonight. I’ll be back later. Jesse will be around if you need anything.”

I nod while breathing deeply, ignoring the pain as I allow my thoughts to slowly drift and wonder to how Luke would react if he were to know just how much Shawn has changed over the past twelve years. How he’d react if he knew it was Shawn who beat me in the barn, if he’d feel the same way as he claims he does about the mysterious attacker. “Y’all have fun,” I force myself to say while forcing a smile at him before I make my way past him and into the living room a moment before Shawn and Jesse walk into the living room from the kitchen.

“Thanks. We will,” Luke pats me on the back on his way past me where he joins Shawn, giving him the nod that he’s ready to go.

“Bye y’all,” Shawn smiles as he sends a short wave towards Jesse and I before he evilly winks at me before he turns around to follow Luke back into the kitchen.

“Well,” Jesse states as silence begins to form in their wake and a moment later the front screen door slams shut behind them, to punctuate their departure, “they’re off, Daisy’s at work. Looks like it’s just me and you tonight.”

I nod at him as I suspiciously glance around the shadow filled room as my thoughts fall back on the warning note to send more chills up my back at the thought of cameras or some sort of listening bug to be within the room. “Yeah. Looks like it,” I finally state as I feel the throbbing in my leg begin to grow as the painkillers begin to wear off that I had taken a few hours ago.

“How’s the leg?” Jesse slowly asks as if reading my mind, he eyes me worriedly before he takes his golden pocket watch out of his chest pocket to look at it, “Looks like it’s about time to take your medicine again.”

I force a weak smile, feeling lost and out of place within my own house now knowing that I’m being watched and listened to; feeling as if I’m trapped in some cage for everyone to walk around and watch. “Feels about time,” I finally state.

“Well let’s get that taken care of and send you off to bed. Doctor’s orders were for you to get lots of rest,” Jesse smiles worriedly at me before he turns and walks back into the kitchen and I silently follow him where he silent moves about filling me a glass of water as I slowly make my way to the counter where my medicine lies in the pill bottles on the counter. “There ya are,” Jesse states as he sets the glass of water on the counter next to me as I slowly open a couple of pill bottles and count out the large pills. “Let me ask you a question, Bo.”

He goes silent and I eye him questionable before I throw a large pill in my mouth to quickly chase it down with a large drink of cold water. “Ask away,” I finally prompt him before I push another pill into my mouth with another large drink of water.

“Luke’s worried about you. We all are. About how you feel, about how you’re dealing with it all,” he states slowly as I turn my back to him to close the pill bottles, “we’re worried about what happened in the barn. Who did this to you and why.”

I turn to face him as he goes silent and am surprised to see how ashen his complexion has seemed to turn within the past moment or two as worry covers his aging face. “First of all, I don’t see the question in your statement. Second of all, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine. It’s over and done with and it’s time to move on,” I finally respond to break the silence, “Trust me, I’m fine. Y’all are worrying over nothing.”

He shakes his head at me. “Luke’s right. You make a horrible liar. You know how I feel about you boys lying to me,” his voice is firm and stern yet worry and concern is etched heavily within each word spoken, “though I know you. You don’t lie unless there is a damn good reason to lie. To cover something up, to protect someone or something. Which only leads our imaginations to wonder what it is you are trying to cover for, who you are trying to protect.” He goes silent for a moment as he eyes me, taking me in and I attempt to cover my emotions, though know how impossible it is for me to hide anything from him. “No, it’s not over and done with. And you know it, which is why you’re still scared, still looking over your shoulder so to speak. My question,” he pauses dramatically as he takes a step closer to me, his eyes seem to be pleading me, “is, what are you hiding? Who are you hiding? And why? You can’t keep hiding it, Bo. Luke’s right, you need to open up and let us help you.”

They’ve got eyes and ears planted where ever you may go. The note screams at me and I find myself quickly shaking my head at Jesse and for a moment, I allow fear to paralyze me once more. Breathing in deeply only to force pain through my lungs and to send me coughing harshly for a long moment, I quickly look away from Jesse as my thoughts rush within me of how I should answer Jesse without offending him. Without upsetting or worrying him more. After a moment, my breathing calms down and I force myself to look back at Jesse who watches me with watered eyes only for me to grow ashamed at myself for lying to him. For pushing him silently away as I have been doing and am doing in order to stop their questions, in order not to say or let slip what had really happened. It’s for his own good… the thought keeps running at me.

After a long silent moment, I take another long painful breath before I finally say, “Look, it don’t matter. Nothing matters anymore,” I pause heavily, feeling as if the world has come to a halt, “what is done, is done. I just want to leave it behind and move on.” I go silent momentarily, glancing down at my bare feet, not wanting to see the disappointment in his deep blue eyes. Shaking my head, I slowly continue, “Regardless of what it looks like, I’m not hiding anyone or anything from you or anyone else. I don’t need to talk about it…to anyone. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not worth talking about. End of story.” I pause once more to look back up at him, “I’m sorry, Uncle Jesse.”

“Sorry?” he questions as he offers a small smile as he places a comforting hand upon my shoulder, “There’s nothing you need to be sorry for, Bo. I’m just sorry this happened to you. As Luke said the other day,” he goes silent for a thoughtful moment, “it makes us feel pretty damn helpless seeing you like this and having nothing to do about it. To see you in pain and in fear while the monster that did it to you is out there,” he looks up and motions towards the closed window over the kitchen sink before looking back at me, “running free to do as he wishes. But,” he pauses as he removes his hand from my shoulder, “if you don’t want to talk about it, we have to honor that. Just know we are here for you in any way we can be.”

I offer a small smile of my own as relief slowly sinks within me as our conversation slowly seems to be venturing away from his questions of what had happened in the barn. “It’s appreciated. Thank-you,” I finally state before silence thickly begins to surround us and I momentarily glance through the window at the dark night that lies beyond it.

“Well,” Jesse pops the air of silence and I slowly glance back at him, “I think it’s time you get off to bed. Know you think you’re too old to have a bed time now, but if you want to get feeling better and out of that brace, well then, you need to follow doctor’s orders. Doctor’s orders were to get as much rest as possible.” He offers an ornery smile at me while another comforting hand lands on my shoulder and I reluctantly nod at him as I fight off yawning in front of him. “Night Bo. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be out here or in my room…just give out a yell.” With that, he gently leans over and gives me a hug as he always had done in the past when I was going through a hard time.

I tightly hug him back before slowly letting go of him and leaning back against the counter and on my crutches. “OK,” I finally respond as I take a step back, “Night Uncle Jesse.”

 

 

***GARRETT DUKE***

                Pulling the heavy ski mask over my face and the thick hood over my head, I stare silently through the back windows of the old beat up white van that we all have hidden within. Watching the van come to an abrupt halt, my eyes quickly fixate upon the large prominent white house to send a rush of excited adrenaline within me.  “OK guys,” Darrell speaks up, supposedly the leader of the group when Landon isn’t around, “we’re here. We’ve all been over what we are to do in there, so let’s do it and not mess up. Let Shawn be a perfect example to us all not to allow greed to get the best of us. Because of his greed, he isn’t here to join in on the fun.” He goes silent as he glances around the crowded back end of the van, “The get away van will be parked here. Any sign of trouble, you call in on the mike and make a run for it. The couple is asleep in their room upstairs in the far right of the house. So we are to hit every room except their bed room and to take anything of value. Everyone understand?”

Everyone nods at him before they turn to the door and Cliff throws open the door and six of us dressed in black work out pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, and a black ski mask quickly run from the back of the truck to the white house. I join Cliff and Darrell at the front door as the other three sneak back around the house where they were instructed to sneak within the house. Standing behind them, I nervously glance up and down the street while listening to them pick the lock of the heavy wooden door. “Got it,” Cliff finally hisses open as the door quietly squeaks open and I slowly turn around to follow them into the dark hallway and silently close the door behind me. For a moment, we stand in the door way while we all get our bags and flashlights out to slowly turn the light on to find ourselves in a wide hall way that leads right and left; a few feet on both sides is an entry way into a large room. “OK,” Cliff whispers, “I’ll go to the left with Garrett. Darrell  you take the room on the right. If Shawn is correct, we should meet up with the rest in the back of the house where the kitchen is at.”

We all silently nod at each other before Darrell separates himself from us and I slowly follow Cliff to the left where we walk into a large open living room and for a moment I stare at my surroundings in awe. Expensive art work line the walls while elegant furniture is spread neatly throughout the room with a large TV lies in a large TV stand that holds several movies and Cds. While a large fire place lies on the far wall with a couple of gold trophies line a shelf above it with a few pictures and statues scattered around. “Take anything of value. Or anything you want. Make it as quick and quiet as possible,” Cliff instructs and I eye him angrily before I step away from him to the shelf and begin to drop the trophies and statues into my thick bag before I move across the room to where a large oak desk sits. Moving the chair out of the way, I slowly throw a couple of items that lies on top of the desk into the bag before I begin to throw open the wooden doors and begin to throw things in the bag that looks to be of some interest. Excitement heavily streaks within me as I open the bottom larger door to find a large metal square box with a heavy lock closing the door. Placing the heavy metal box into my heavy bag, my thoughts instinctively return to Shawn and his attempt to hide the mayor’s briefcase of money he had found in the Duke farm and momentarily sympathize with him.

After a short moment, I quickly join Cliff at the door way were we slowly walk through another entry way that leads to an large open kitchen where Darrell is going through doors. “Got the other room taken care off, the others are upstairs. We should be about done,” I overhear Darrell whisper to Cliff before I distant myself from them as I throw open a couple of doors that are stuffed with receipts and other paper work. Opening the top cupboards, I am surprised to find them to be filled with more trophies, another metal box that is tightly locked, along with a few wooden boxes that are filled with cigars. “Dang,” Darrell whispers behind me, “ol’ Garrett here hit jackpot over here.”

“You just need to know where to look,” I whisper back to him as I push his greedy hand away to begin dropping them in my bag, “I found them, I bring ‘em in.”

“After what Shawn did,” Darrell hisses at me, “I don’t know if we should -”

“Look Darrell, I’m not Shawn,” I get in his face as I grab onto his sweatshirt, “so don’t start comparing me to him. I put it all in the bag and the damn bag goes to the same place as your bag is going. Unlike Shawn, I ain’t stupid enough to try take some of it for myself.”

“OK boys, break it up,” Cliff joins us as the other three silently walks into the kitchen, “we’re done. Let’s get outta here before they wake up.”

I nod as I push my way past Darrell and we round the entrance to the room that Darrell had been in to find it to be a large room filled with more furniture and artwork. A moment later we are following Cliff out the front door where he relocks and closes it behind him as I eye up and down the street. “Looks clear,” I state and together we run to the white van whose back door remains open for us and we climb back inside before setting our full bags in the back corner while the other three members that had came from the back of the house climbs into the van, closing the doors behind him and the van silently begins to move forward while they place their bags with our own. Looking at each other we quickly take our masks and hoods off while the rush of adrenaline washes over us.

“We did it!” Darrell exclaims, being the first one to speak of our excitement, “Look at all that we got. Landon’s gonna love it!”

Everyone nods in agreement with Darrell as I slowly scoot away from them to glance through the small back windows to silently watch the small town of Hazzard moving behind us. My thoughts slowly turn from the robbery to the note I had wrote Bo, warning him of the bugs Shawn had planted at the farm and in their cars. Watching the street fade behind me, I quickly begin to question myself and whether the note was worth risking my life for; knowing that if Landon or his men where to find out, I’d get far worse punishment than Shawn. Yet, despite my strong feelings towards Bo and his family, I know I can’t just stand by and allow Shawn and Landon to hurt Bo worse or to carry out their threat towards Luke, Daisy, and Jesse just because of Shawn’s stupid mistake. At least with the note, Bo will know better than to even think of saying anything to them of what had happen, knowing whatever he says and does will be seen and heard. And if he does say anything about what had happened, that Shawn is deathly serious about his threat he had given him in the barn.