by: Essy Jane

Luke came back from the hospital two weeks after Bo moved into the physical
therapy center. He would be surprised greatly. Bo was in the bathroom
cleaning it when Luke arrived. Bo loved to keep busy. He didn’t want to stop
living his life.

“We changed your room Larry,” The nurse stated.

“Thank you ma’am, I hated my roommate. He snored and talked in his sleep.
Not to mention his over enthusiasm. I can’t stand it, makes me want to die,”
Luke answered back.

“I’m sure you’ll like this roommate. He’s just your type, I promise.”

“Yeah, well I thought you said I’d have my own room.”

“I told you that would be the case if we didn’t get anymore patients. And
guess what happened, a new one arrived.”

Luke snarled at the lady. He just wanted her to leave. Luke didn’t like
company much. Even the sight of Jud troubled him. Luke figured that neither
he nor anyone else should have to suffer with hearing his grieving heart
cry.

“Can I meet him?”

“Who?”

“This new cellmate, the guy I’m going to live with.”

“Larry! You know that this is not a prison. You checked yourself in here to
get some help with your legs. And with the way you’ve been lately, you need
constant supervision.”

Luke gave her the cold shoulder. He didn’t want to see her anymore.

Luke heard a scream come from the bathroom. “Who was that?”

“Your roommate.” Luke wheeled over and opened the bathroom door. He saw Bo
sitting on the floor rubbing his head.

“Stupid soap,” Bo mumbled. He grabbed the bar of soap and put it in his
pocket. He then pulled himself over to the bathtub and climbed in. Luke’s
newly pasted smile lit up fast like a light being turned on or the sun’s
rays as the wandering cloud drove away from its presence.

“Something always hits your head,” Luke stated. Bo jumped at the sound of
his voice.

“Look whose talking, Mr. I didn’t mean to throw that rock at the beehive?”

Luke laughed, something he hadn’t done in weeks. He looked at Bo with open
eyes.

“What are you up to?”

“Scrubbin’ down toilets that needed a good shine, you know Larry it is very
important to do so. As our dear Uncle always says, it’s better to use a
tooth brush than have a stain the size of Maine!” Bo got back into his
wheelchair and washed off his hands. The two men hugged. Jud walked in to
clean out the baskets. He saw his cousin and his brother. Jud broke down
into tears. He couldn’t believe what was going on. His cousin did it. He
knew Bo could pull it off.

They were happy once more, at least for now. Luke ate something for the
first time on his own. The poor guy had lost a lot of weight. But when he
would gain it back or even try to eat more was beyond him.

As the weeks rolled by though, they police still hadn’t found Cal or Kevin.
It was as if they’d disappeared from the face of the earth. In actuality,
they were hiding. Concealed from the law, concealed from their selves most
of all, Kevin and Cal were concealed from the world. That is the tragic way
to end up in the globe of crime.

Then Luke fell back into his depression. The thought of never walking again
scared him. Bo was hopeful that he would but Luke stopped trying. Bo had to
get him out of it fast. There was no way he could be left in that state for
too long.

Luke just sat out at the front of the building on the big hill. He watched
people as the walked by. Children were running and elderly Ladies crossing
the road, something he used to help them do. But not anymore, to Luke this
was the end of his days. He was put on this earth for nothing. If Uncle
Jesse would’ve heard these words, he would have had his tan turned red.

Bo had a plan though; he’d pretend that his wheelchair was out of control
and call Luke for help. It was the perfect shuck and jive… Luke would
actually move on his own.
Do something besides just sit around like a bump on a log. Bo put his plan
into action. He pretended that he couldn’t control his brakes, if Luke still
didn’t do anything he could always slam on the breaks.

“Larry, help me!” Bo screamed as he began to roll down the hill.

Luke looked up suddenly.

“Use your breaks!” Luke screamed.

Bo pulled on them and they broke off. Now he was scared. He had never had
anything like that happen before.

Luke’s eyes widened as he saw his cousin rolling faster and faster down the
hill.

“Perfect idea,” Bo muttered to himself.

“I’ll save you Bo, honest! Just hold on!”

“I can’t seem to do anything else!” Luke pushed himself faster and faster
down the hill. He went in front of Bo hoping that he could stop him like
he’d done for cars. The wheelchair bumped him many times as he applied the
breaks. A horn blasted– the sound of an oversized semi-truck.

“Bo you got to jump out of your wheelchair or we’s gonna be killed.”

“I can’t Larry I’m paralyzed.”

“You can do it. We’re as tough as nails and then some. You can make the
jump. Just push yourself out.” Bo closed his eyes tight and slid himself
out. The wheelchairs both ran over Luke. One ran over Bo. But both
wheelchairs were squished by the semi. Bo and Luke had no way of getting
back up the hill.

“This is not the way I planned to die. I didn’t want to be road kill.”

“We got to think.”

“I say I grab hold of someone’s car bumper and go for a ride up the hill.”

“I say you’re crazy!”

“You got any better ideas? Because the only way we’re getting up that hill
is by moving somehow and I don’t see us doing it by lying in the middle of
the road.”

“Well…” Luke looked towards the grocery store that was about 9 feet away
compared to the 2 yards over the big hill. Can you pull yourself over to the
grocery carts?”

“Yeah but can you?”

“Let’s hope so.” Luke and Bo began pushing themselves with their hands. This
was the first time Bo was way ahead of Luke. Even in school Luke was better.
But Bo had a good head on his shoulders.

“Someday you’ll be this fast if you try hard enough Larry.”

“Barry, shut up!” The trip was harder than Luke anticipated. Sweat was
rolling down his back like Niagara Falls flows. The worst part was Bo was
right. Sometimes it made Luke mad when his cousin was right. Not because of
envy, but because he wasn’t right that often. When Bo was correct, he was
dead on.

“Lar, this ain’t happenin’. We’re at home sleeping in our own beds waiting
for you know who to tap us on the shoulder. Some days, he pours a bucket of
water over our heads.”

“He only does it to you.”

“Why is that anyway?”

“You never get up.”

“Sure I do, just not on time.”

“That’s never in my book.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. But I miss them. Especially my sweet country cousin
whom I miss more than life. Shoot, I even miss the law down there.”

“I’m starting to miss them too. I hate being so far away.”

“Has that guy told you anything yet?”

“Well, they haven’t caught him yet. And I told that dumb policeman that we
weren’t going to stay like this always. Just until they found the two, then
we go back.”

“We better. I love it up here and all but without Hazzard it’s not worth
it.”

“I hear you.” They finally made it to the store. Both boys rested on the
curb. Tara was walking to her car when she saw Bo’s face.

“Barry? What are you doing here?” Tara asked.

Bo explained the whole idea to Tara. She listened quietly. Finally giggling
about how they got up the hill. “All right, I’ll put you in my car and take
you back up there. But not before going shopping. You need some clothes,
boys.” The two looked at her in question.