by: Marty Chrisman

Daisy, Uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke were all gathered around Kelly’s bed, each of them lost in their own thoughts and feeling their own pain. In a few minutes, Doc Applebee would turn off the machines and they would let Kelly go so that she could rest in peace. Earlier that morning, she had suffered a stroke. After conducting further tests, Doc Applebee told the family that she was now brain dead. All hope was gone, she would never wake up. Luke had no choice but to agree to let them turn off the machines but he had insisted on being there when they did. Jesse stood on Luke’s left, with Bo on his right side and Daisy was standing slightly in front of Bo. “Do want us to go?” Jesse asked Luke quietly “So you can be alone when it’s time?”

Luke shook his head slowly from side to side. “No,” he said in a ragged, broken voice “I need you guys to stay. I don’t think I can do this by myself.”

“We’re right here with you, Sugar.” Daisy said gently, reaching out to take his right hand and squeezing it tightly. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her heart ached so much for Luke. He and Kelly had been through so much, now it had to end like this. It just wasn’t fair. And Kelly had been like a sister to Daisy, the sister she had never had.

“You got that right, cuz.” Bo said, putting a comforting hand on Luke’s right shoulder, while Jessie clamped his left. “We’re all right here with ya, boy.” Jesse told him. The three of them silently offered up their strength and their love to help Luke get through this. Tears gathered in Luke’s eyes as he reached out and took Kelly’s hand.

Doc Applebee reached out and turned off the machines one by one, until the only one still operating was the monitor that was registering Kelly’s heartbeat. The silence in the room suddenly felt eerie and out of place. Daisy felt Luke grip her hand tightly, squeezing her fingers together painfully, as they waited in silence for the inevitable.

Luke felt his own heart begin to pound painfully in his chest, his heart rate speeding up as the monitor registering Kelly’s heartbeat began to slow down. He felt the lump in his throat that seemed to get larger and larger, as the monitor slowed down even more until it suddenly went to a flat line. Doc Applebee reached over to turn off the last machine. Then he took his stethoscope and listened to Kelly’s chest for a moment. He glanced up at the Dukes, his own eyes reflecting the sadness he felt at that moment. “She’s gone.” He told them.

A strangled cry ripped from Luke’s throat and he would have collapsed, if Jesse and Bo hadn’t caught him, supporting him between the two of them. Gently, they led him out of the room and away from Kelly’s side for the last time. Doc had already given Jesse a prescription for some sedatives to help Luke get through the next few days and the funeral, but Jesse had a jug of shine hidden away at home that he figured would do Luke a lot more good then the sedatives and still have the same effect. Luke didn’t say a word on the drive home to Hazzard. He was too lost in his own grief and pain.

Jesse knew that Luke was in no condition to even think about planning Kelly’s funeral, so Jesse had already contacted the preacher and made most of the arrangements. There would be the traditional 3 day wake at the house (an old southern custom) The funeral would be that Sunday at the church where Kelly and Luke had gotten married just six short days ago. Then Kelly would be buried in the Duke Family Plot on the hill behind the farmhouse. There, she would rest in peace with Jesse’s precious Martha, Bo’s parents, Luke’s parents, Daisy’s parents, Jesse’s parents and 3 more generations of Dukes who on gone on to glory. Jesse knew that it was going to be a long and stressful four days. Jesse was hurting too, he had loved Kelly as if she were one of his own kids.  Everyone in Hazzard knew what had happened and they were grieving for Kelly too (and for Luke.)

When they got back to the farm, Luke went to his room and did not come out for the rest of the day. He was lying on his bed just staring at the ceiling when Jesse knocked on the door and then came into the room. “Thought maybe you could use this about now.” Jesse said handing him a pint jar filled with a clear liquid. Luke smiled thinly knowing that the jar contained some of Jesse’s shine. He accepted it gratefully and took a drink.

“Thanks, Jess.”

“You coming down for supper?”

“No, thanks. I’m not very hungry.”

“You gotta eat even if you don’t want to.” Jesse said firmly “I’ll have Daisy fix you a plate and Bo can bring it up to ya.”

Luke nodded. He knew there was no point arguing with Jesse. As Jesse turned and left the room, Luke took another long swallow of the moon shine, feeling the welcome warmth that spread out through his body. He knew by the time he finished the jar he would finally be able to sleep.

Cooter was in the kitchen with Daisy and Bo when Jesse came back downstairs. He had been there since the wedding and he would stay there with the family until after the funeral. Luke had been his closest friend since they were kids and Cooter had always been like one of the family. He was worried about Luke too. He knew how devastated he had to be. Nobody felt much like eating but Jessie insisted that they had to keep up as normal a routine as possible, even if none of them felt like it. So Daisy fixed a light supper. Bo took a plate upstairs to Luke then rejoined the family downstairs. While he was upstairs, Enos had arrived and was in the kitchen talking with Jesse, Daisy and Cooter. He stopped in his tracks when he heard what Enos was telling them.

“That’s right, Uncle Jessie. We got the man that hit Kelly. His name’s Bobby Tayler and he’s from Atlanta. He confessed and everything. He’s says somebody hired him to do it but won’t tell us who.”

“Why in the hell would somebody hire him to run down Kelly?” Bo snapped, stepping into the kitchen. He was too upset to keep his language in check but Uncle Jesse ignored his lack of restraint. Jesse himself felt like using a few choice words right about now. Bo’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his hands balled into fists. “You let me in to talk to him! I’ll sure as hell find who hired him!”

“Bo!” Jesse said sharply “You settle down now! That wouldn’t help any.”

“Jesse’s right” Daisy said in a broken voice, putting a gentle hand on her younger cousin’s arm. “It won’t bring Kelly back even if he does tell us who hired him.”

“Don’t you all worry none.” Enos said “He ain’t gonna get away with what he done, I’m gonna make sure of that and I’m gonna find out who hired him too if it’s the last thing I do. You can count on that.”

“Thank you, Enos.” Jesse said “We appreciate everything you’re doing.”

“I just wish I could do more. It ain’t right what happened to Kelly and to Luke. How’s Luke holding up?”

“Not very good, I’m afraid.” Jesse told him “I’m scared what this is gonna do to him. He loves that girl so much.”

“Well, you tell him I’m praying for him. Everybody is.”

“I’ll make sure he knows that.”

“Well, I best git back before Roscoe skins me alive.” Enos said his goodbyes and left, heading back to Hazzard.

“It just don’t make sense, Uncle Jesse” Bo said, his voice shaking with anger “Who’d want hurt Kelly like that? Why would anybody do something like that?”

“I don’t know, Bo. I just don’t know. We may never know unless that feller decides to tell Enos who hired him.”

Upset even further by the news they had just heard from Enos, supper was forgotten. None of them had any appetite anyway. Cooter helped Daisy clear the table and put the food she had prepared in the refrigerator, while Jesse and Bo went to do the evening chores.

For the next three days, the house with filled with family and friends paying their condolences and respect to the grieving family. Luke stayed in his room, refusing to come out. Jesse made sure to keep the shine available to help him get through the next few days. Bo reported that Luke spent most of the time sleeping (with more than a little help from Jesse’s shine) or staring out the window. He refused to talk to anyone, even Bo.

The day of the funeral it was cloudy and overcast, a day that fit everyone’s mood. Jesse had made sure that Luke had more than one drink that morning before they left for the service at the church. Luke was acting strange and Jesse couldn’t help worrying about him. The church was packed with people, several them already crying without shame and they started crying even harder when Luke entered the church surrounded by his family.

Jesse and Bo led Luke to the front pew and the four Dukes sat down. Momentarily, Luke let his eyes drift to the white coffin trimmed in gold that sat in front of him. The lid was closed at his request. His Kelly was lying in that box and Luke wanted nothing more at that moment then to be in there with her. He could hear Daisy crying softly beside him, but his own eyes were dry. He had done his own crying behind the closed door of his bedroom. He counted on the shine he’d drank that morning to get him through this final ritual of death. Jesse had always told him that funerals were for the ones who were left behind, so they could say their final goodbyes to the departed but Luke didn’t want to say goodbye to Kelly.

Thankfully, the preacher kept the service short. After it was over, Daisy quickly took Luke outside to wait in the jeep. That way, he wouldn’t have to watch Kelly’s casket being carried to the hearse. The six pallbearers, Jesse, Cooter, Bo, Enos, Roscoe and Cletus solemnly carried the casket outside and loaded it into the back of the black hearse.

Every car in Hazzard fell in behind the hearse as it pulled away, heading for the farm and the Duke cemetery. The streets of town were quiet and empty everyone had gone to the funeral to pay their last respects. That one of the good things about living in a place like Hazzard, folks stuck together and neighbors were there for each other. And the Dukes were well known and well liked in the County (except by Boss Hogg and Roscoe) Later, Luke would remember very little about that day. It was just as well. What he did remember was bad enough.