by: Keith

Act One

(Opening shot of a ramp-like mound of dirt bordering a river. Within a few seconds, we hear the General Lee’s engine and then immediately see him jump the river. Three more basic jumps follow and the series of stunts concludes with the famous rivine jump.)

BALLADEER: Now, friends, if you’re wonderin’ why the General has taken off more times in the last two minutes than the only plane at the Hazzard airport has all year, it’s because it’s time once again for Boss Hogg’s annual Drag N’ Fly race. Bo and Luke are pullin’ out all the stops to make sure the ol’ General is up to the challenge.

(We see a traditional shot of Bo and Luke in the General Lee)

LUKE: You hearin’ what I’m hearin’?

BO: Well, if you’re talkin’ about that high-pitched squeekin’ noise that sounds like the shocks just gave out, then yeah, I’m hearin’ what you’re hearin’.

LUKE: Well, we can’t enter the General in the Drag N’ Fly with the shocks in this bad shape. Better head over to Cooter’s and see if he can help us out.

(Fade to an outside shot of the couny courthouse.)

BALLADEER: Now, y’all might recall that last year before the Drag N’ Fly, Boss had Luke hypnotized into thinking that the general was a piece of junk to keep the Dukes from enterin’ the race. Luckily, though, Uncle Jesse brought Luke back to his senses before it was too late. Well, folks, this year ain’t gonna be no different. Cause ol’ Boss is already cookin’ up a plan to keep Bo and Luke from gettin’ to the startin’ line.

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by: Marty Chrisman

Jesse went into his bedroom and slowly sank down onto the bed. He was exhausted but sleep was out of the question. He had not one but two funerals to plan and a lot of calls to make. He felt hollow and empty inside, his mind had gone numb. He recognized the signs. His body was operating on automatic pilot so he could do what he needed to do without letting the pain and grief interfere. He’d had the same reaction when his wife, Martha died. He would rest for awhile first and then get started with the necessary arrangements.

Daisy had gone to her room too and threw herself down across the bed crying hysterically. She couldn’t believe that Bo and Luke were both gone. She prayed that they hadn’t suffered that death had claimed them the minute they hit the mountain. She couldn’t stand the thought that either one had felt any pain or realized what was about to happen. And in her heart she knew that the boys had always shared almost a psychic connection sometimes seeming like they could read each others minds and even finishing each other’s thoughts. And because of that she believed that Bo had somehow sensed Luke’s death and had simply willed himself to die too instead of living without Luke by his side. Now they would always be together though all eternity.

Cooter wandered around the old farmhouse, the rooms so empty and quiet now. It was almost as if the old house sensed that Bo and Luke would never be coming home again. Cooter was beside himself with grief but he knew that it was ten times worse for Jesse and Daisy. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before Enos spread the word around town that both of the boys had died. People would start calling soon and stopping by to show their support for the grief stricken family. Cooter picked up the phone and called his cousin, L.B. another close friend of the Duke family.

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by: Marty Chrisman

Jesse’s tired old eyes watched the machines that monitored Luke’s vital signs. He didn’t know how to read all the dials and fancy gadgets. But he knew that the one machine showed Luke’s heartbeat and that as long it was making them lines on the screen, Luke was still alive. A nurse came in every few minutes and wrote something down on her chart, then left. Jesse knew she was reading the information on the different machines but he was afraid to ask her what they said. It was bad enough knowing that Luke was dying he didn’t really want to know just how soon.

The doctor had told Jesse that when Luke passed on they would not try to bring him back. They would simply let him go in peace. As he sat there waiting, Jesse let his thoughts drift back to when Luke was a child. He had always been independent and self reliant even at a young age. When Bo and Daisy came to live on the farm too, Luke had become the protective older brother who looked for them and took care of them.

Jesse knew that there were times when Luke resented being the one who had to help watch his younger cousins and keep them out of trouble but he had never complained, at least not to Jesse. And Jesse knew that it was especially hard when Luke was a teenager and wanted to spend time with friends his own age and date girls and Bo wanted to tag along all the time.

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by: Marty Chrisman

The next morning the Dukes left as soon as the sun came up. Although they wanted and needed to be with both boys, it was too difficult to make the trip to Atlanta and to Tri County Medical Center both in the same day. So reluctantly, they decided to alternate days, spending one day with Bo and one day with Luke. And this was the day they decided to spend with Luke. Cooter accompanied them determined to see this thing through to the end with them. He was almost like family anyway and now was the time that what was left of the family needed to be together.

At the hospital, they were told they could see Luke one at a time for 5 minutes at a time every two hours but no more than that. There had been no change in his condition.

The doctors were still waiting for the results of some of the tests they had been running and Dr. Malone had told them that he hoped to have some more news for them before the end of the day.

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by: Marty Chrisman

Although they hated to leave, they knew there was nothing more they could do right now for Luke. So they returned to Capital City to see if they could see Bo or not.

When they reached the hospital, the nurse on duty told them that the doctor had agreed to let them see Bo but only for five minutes at a time and again only one of them at a time could go into his room.

Jesse went first again. Bo was surrounded by machines too but he didn’t look quite as bad as Luke. Still, he looked bad enough. His chest and right shoulder were both heavily bandaged and one side of his face was bruised. And like Luke, he was pale and unresponsive. Jesse gently touched his hand and found it cold just like Luke’s had been. “You hold on, Bo.” He said quietly “Don’t you die on me.” He felt the tears in his eyes as he looked down at his youngest nephew. Gently he reached down and brushed a strand of blonde hair off of Bo’s forehead. Then he slowly turned and left the room.

Daisy went in to see Bo next. She smiled through her tears as she looked down at her baby cousin. She knew if Luke died and Bo survived, Bo would blame himself for the rest of his life for killing Luke even though it had been an accident. Bending down, she kissed Bo just as she had done Luke. Then she left the room before she broke down completely.

Cooter went in to see Bo last. He could remember Bo hanging out with him and Luke when they were teenagers and working on cars. The four years difference in Bo and Luke’s ages made Cooter look at Bo more like a pesky little brother too. It seemed like the fondest memories of his life included the Duke boys. He knew how inseparable Luke and Bo were and how hard it would for either one of them if one lived and one died.

“I got the General back at my place.” Cooter said quietly “And when you and Luke are all better, we’ll rebuild him…good as new.” Cooter had to leave before his emotions got the best of him.

The Dukes and Cooter went back to the farm. Cooter talked Jesse and Daisy into lying down for awhile so they both could get some rest. While they were sleeping, he did the chores that had been neglected since the accident. It helped to keep his mind occupied and his hands busy. Cooter wasn’t dumb and he wasn’t fooling himself about Bo and Luke’s chances of making it through this. It would take a miracle for both of them to live.

Cooter had just come out of the barn from gathering the eggs when he saw Enos pulling into the driveway. He waited for the deputy to climb out of the car. Enos smiled his goofy smile when he saw Cooter and took of his hat, holding it in his hands. “Hey, Cooter.” He said

“Hey, Enos.”

“I just stopped by to see how Bo and Luke are doing.”

“It don’t look good, Enos.” Cooter told him somberly “It don’t look at all.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that….how’s Uncle Jesse and Daisy holding up?”

“About as well as can be expected. They’re resting right now.”

“Possum on a gum bush” Enos said using one of his favorite expressions. “I never expected nothing like this to happen to Bo and Luke….not the way them boys can drive.”

“Anybody can have an accident, Enos.” Cooter told him “Sometimes things just happen and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”

“Just ain’t gonna be the same around here if anything happens to Bo and Luke.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You tell Daisy and Uncle Jesse to let me know if they need anything now, ya hear?” Enos said struggling to control his emotions “And you tell ‘em that I’m praying for them boys…everybody is.”

“I’ll make sure and tell ‘em.” Cooter assured him. He watched as Enos climbed into his car and drove away.

Cooter took the eggs into the house and put them in the refrigerator. He wasn’t much of a cook but he knew they should all eat something. He looked in the refrigerator and found some leftover beef stew that still looked good so he heated that up on the stove and make a fresh pot of coffee. He decided not to disturb Daisy and Jesse. They needed their rest. Several people called. All of them were anxious for news on the boys and their condition and concerned about Jesse and Daisy. Cooter kept his answers brief. It wasn’t his place to tell nobody nothing. The calls from neighbors and friends just showed how much the Duke family was liked and respected in Hazzard County.

Around eight o’clock that evening, Jesse and then Daisy came out of their rooms and into the kitchen. Neither of them ate, they just picked at their food. Cooter told them about Enos and the other friends who had called to offer their help and to express their concern for the boys.

“Them boys have more friends than they realize.” Jesse said somberly. He sighed heavily. He had rested but he had not slept and his body ached with fatigue. But if he closed his eyes and slept, he knew that he would see the accident in his mind and the faces of his two boys when they realized they were going crash into the mountain. And he couldn’t stand that, not now.

Daisy was quiet and withdrawn. She had slept but it had not been a restful sleep. In her dreams she kept hearing the boys screaming and the sound of The General Lee crashing. In spite of her own fears and fatigue, she was worried about Uncle Jesse. He was in good health for a man his age but he did have high blood pressure. And she couldn’t help but be afraid what would happen to him if the boys didn’t make it. The boys and Jesse were the only family she had and she was terrified of losing any of them.