by: Marty Chrisman
Jesse was the only one at home when Luke got back to the farm. Daisy was at work and Bo was out with one of the Johnson sisters. It was just as well since Luke wanted to talk to Jesse privately. Jesse put down the paper he was reading and looked at Luke as he sat down on the sofa. Jesse recognized the signals, Luke had something on his mind that he needed to talk about.
“About time you got home.” Jesse said offhandedly “Daisy left some supper for you in the refrigerator.”
“I ain’t hungry right now.”
“You got something on your mind?”
“Yeah…that letter I got yesterday….it was from Shelby.”
“Shelby?” Jesse said, arching one eyebrow “”Is that where you’ve been all day?”
“She’s in Atlanta….I went up there and saw her.” Luke fell into an uneasy silence. Then he blurted out “She’s pregnant, Uncle Jesse.”
Jesse’s eyes widened in surprise. “And it’s yours…” he said. It was a statement of fact not a question.
“Yes, Sir.” Luke said lowering his head so he could avoid his Uncle’s eyes, afraid of the disappointment he might see there. “I know it is.”
“So what are you planning on doing about it?”
“I don’t know…..I wanna do the right thing….”
“Are you thinking about marrying her?”
Luke shook his head and raised his head, looking into his Uncle’s eyes “Shelby made it pretty clear she doesn’t want that….”
“What does she want?”
“I don’t know…we didn’t get that far”
“At least she told you.” Jesse said “Now you have to be man enough to own up to your responsibilities. You helped create a life…you’d better be ready to help take care of the child.”
“I am” Luke said somewhat defensively “I just don’t know how much Shelby’s gonna let me do…”
“Shelby’s probably just as scared as you are right now. But you can’t let her shut you out…..you got rights too.”
“I want her to come back to Hazzard…” Luke said “And I…uh…was kinda hoping she could stay here.”
“Shelby is always welcome here…if that’s a Duke she’s carrying then she’s already part of the family.” Jesse said. He eyed his oldest nephew closely “But even if she agrees to come back and stays here….that don’t mean I’m gonna let you sleep with her without being married even if she is pregnant with your child…”
“No, sir.”
“And that means no sneaking her into your room like you done the last time.” Jesse said firmly
Luke flushed with embarrassment. He didn’t think Jesse knew about that. He should have known better. Jesse seemed to know everything that went on under his roof.
“Yes, sir.” Luke said automatically.
Jesse smiled “Then you go get that little girl and you bring her back here. Cause she’s gonna need all the help she can get……and she’s gonna need a family.” Jesse told “Night, Jesse.” Luke said as he shoved himself to his feet. Jesse smiled to himself as he watched Luke climb the stairs to the second floor. He knew that Bo and Luke were grown men with normal urges and desires but Jesse still had to remind them now and then who was in charge. He knew that Shelby was the first woman that Luke had been with since his wife, Kelly, was killed. And he knew that Luke usually acted responsibly when it came to practicing safe sex but it looked like this was the one time he should have and didn’t.
Luke went up to the room he had shared with Bo since they were children and closed the door. Stripping down to his boxer shorts, he laid on his bed and stared into the darkness. A baby. Luke had always figured that someday he’d get married and have a family but he didn’t figure on a baby coming before a wedding. Luke wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of being a father. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he tried to imagine what it would be like teaching a son to fish or watching a daughter grow into a beautiful young woman. He decided he would back to Atlanta tomorrow to talk to Shelby again. He just hoped he could talk her into coming back with him. Sometimes she could be as stubborn as a Missouri mule too.