by: TNRiverRat

Chapter 8
Two months later, mid-July…

The summer had been going pretty well for the Dukes. Jesse was almost fully recovered and taking over most of his old chores. Bo seemed to be getting back to his usual self except when a certain young lady was mentioned. Daisy tried her best to keep the relationship between her cousins from becoming damaged by running interference when Luke questioned Bo’s strange behavior too much. The boys had, for the most part, returned to their old routine. They worked on the farm together and hung out together, as usual. They were even being chased by the law more now that Jesse had recovered. Things were starting to get back to normal in Hazzard.

To Luke Duke things were better than normal! The normally reserved Luke was walking on air! He whistled as he unloaded feed sacks from the bed of the truck. The hot Georgia sun was shining and the work was almost done for the day. All was right in his world. His family was pretty much back to normal…well, normal except for Bo; his youngest cousin was still acting odd. Bo had started to become quiet again and had been sneaking off by himself lately. Luke, however, decided to just leave well enough alone. Bo would come around…eventually; besides, he had better things to occupy his mind with! The dark-haired Duke had been steadily dating a wonderful girl who he really liked and who seemed to like him just as much! And Boss and Rosco were hatching their schemes to frame him and Bo, as usual…which provided for endless hours of entertainment!

Luke and Meghan’s first date had gone so well that they had decided to start seeing each other on a regular basis. In fact, it seemed the only times they were not together or talking on the phone was when Meghan was at work or they were sleeping! Luke was very proud of his girlfriend and encouraged her work. He didn’t mind dating a woman who made more money or had more education than him; but he was still old fashioned about most of the relationship! Luke liked Meghan so much that he actually considered telling her that he loved her…at least he thought he loved her. He didn’t know for sure if it was actually love that he felt but he knew he felt stronger about her than any other woman he had ever dated.

Luke finished unloading the truck and wiped his hands on his jeans before slamming the tail-gate shut. He was happy and looking forward to dinner. He had finally decided to bring Meghan to the farm tonight. He was actually a bit surprised that Daisy, Jesse, and Bo hadn’t been pestering him to meet her long before now. In fact, now that he thought about it, Bo really hadn’t asked much about Meghan at all. Usually, the talkative blond would tease him and want to know everything about any girl Luke dated…even down to her favorite color and how she kissed! He noticed that Bo always listened intently whenever he talked about Meghan but never asked any questions. Luke had also noticed that Bo always seemed to find something to do in another room or outside whenever Meghan was on the phone…actually, Bo rarely even answered the phone anymore, saying “Luke, it’s probably for you” and handing the receiver over. The more he thought about it, the more Luke realized how uncharacteristically Bo was acting. How have I kept from noticing before now? Wonder what’s eatin’ him? Maybe he thinks I’m neglecting him since I’m spending so much time with Meghan now. I’ll try to make it up to him by doing more things with him. Maybe he’ll want to come with me and Meghan to do some stuff…double date or something.

Luke felt some better after he had determined a possible cause for Bo’s strange behavior. He smiled as he heard the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen. Daisy and Jesse were fussing over the house and the cooking…even though he knew Meghan wouldn’t care. Daisy seemed to be so excited to meet Meghan that she had swapped shifts with another waitress at the Boar’s Nest just so she would be able to stay home tonight! He didn’t know where Bo was…something that was unusual and becoming disturbingly more frequent…but he hoped his cousin wouldn’t be late for dinner. Luke had started to go into the house to get ready to go get Meghan when Cooter Davenport’s tow truck rattled into the yard…towing the General behind.

Luke hollered a greeting to his friend and walked over to see what the problem was. The General didn’t look like he’d been wrecked.

“Hey, Coot. What’s wrong with the General?” Luke questioned as he began to unhook the orange stock-car.

“Well, Buddyro…the General Lee is as right as rain. At least he is now. He could’ve ended up wrapped around a tree if I hadn’t got to him in time.” Cooter looked serious and a bit concerned as he walked around to the passenger side of the truck.

“Huh? What’s the problem, then?” Luke asked, a frown creasing his face.

“This.” Cooter said simply as he opened the passenger side door of the old tow-truck.

Inside was Bo Duke; sprawled across the seat, passed out and dead to the world!

“What the…?” Luke said in shock. “What happened? Is he hurt?” Luke struggled to get his limber-limbed cousin out of the truck and onto the ground.

“He’s alright Luke…just stinkin’ drunk is all. He could’ve been a lot worse. I drove up to the Boar’s Nest just as ol’ Bo here was staggering out to get into the General. Luckily, I talked him into lettin’ me drive him home…otherwise he would’ve been behind the wheel when he passed out about ten minutes ago.”
Luke was open-mouthed with shock. His cousin had never liked getting drunk. In fact, he could count the times Bo had been this drunk on one hand and have fingers left over. Luke leaned over the young man on the ground and got a strong whiff of alcohol.

“Whew! You were right when you said he was stinkin’ drunk! That’s not beer either. He’s been drinking whiskey…and the cheap, nasty kind at that! What’s goin’ on Cooter? Bo never drinks that stuff! He usually only has three or four beers at the most! Besides, it’s only 4:00…way too early for him to even be thinking about getting wasted.” Luke was frustrated and looked to his old friend for some answers.

“I don’t know Luke. I just don’t know. Gary, that new bartender at the Boar’s Nest, said Bo’s been in a lot lately. Sometimes he drinks, sometimes he doesn’t…but either way, Gary said he just sits at the bar by himself and doesn’t talk to anyone. Today he said Bo came in around noon and seemed determined to get good and sloshed before he left. Something’s going on, Lukas…Bo’s just not the same ol’ boy he used to be! I for one wish he’d get over this problem…I miss him.” Cooter let out a deep breath and looked sadly at his young friend.

“Me too, Cooter. Come on and help me get him into the barn. I need to try to sober him up some before Jesse sees him. Hey, do you want to have dinner over here tonight? We’ll have plenty and it’ll give you a chance to meet my girlfriend.”

“Oh, the girlfriend who you talk about all the time. Let’s see…what is her name? …Maggie or Margaret or Meghan or something like that?” Cooter teased.

“Yeah, OK, maybe I do talk about her a little bit.” Luke grinned, sheepishly.

Cooter rolled his eyes. He and Luke picked Bo up and easily carried him into the barn. Luke went to fill a bucket with cold water from the pump next to the battered, old water trough.

“I guess I can come for dinner. I need to go do a quick tow job and clean up a little first, though. Wouldn’t want to scare your girl away!” Cooter pushed his greasy cap up and scratched his head. He leaned against the doorway of the old barn and eyed the bucket Luke was filling. “Uh, whatcha fixin’ to do, Luke?”

“You’ll see.” Luke finished filling the bucket and walked over to the empty stall where his cousin lay, softly snoring.

“Ya know, Cooter…I can’t say I won’t enjoy this! Bo sure won’t…but then he shouldn’t have been out acting like an idiot.” He swirled the bucket and took aim. He glanced at Cooter as if daring his friend to stop him.

Cooter made a face and readjusted his cap. “I don’t blame ya, Luke. But, dang, that’s gonna be one heck of a wake up call!” he said, cringing slightly.

Luke quirked a slightly wicked grin and proceeded to dump the entire contents of the water bucket on his inebriated cousin’s head.

Bo was having the strangest dream about him and Luke being chased by Roscoe, who was riding a green tricycle and somehow keeping up with them better than usual…, when all of a sudden …“SPLASH”!
He gasped and sputtered. He was drowning! He flailed about on the floor of the stall until he got his eyes opened completely and could see where he was. He saw that he was in the barn and he had no idea how he got there. He dimly registered that there was a great deal of laughter going on somewhere near him; but he couldn’t see what the hell was so funny at the moment. His head was about to fall off his shoulders, so he held it on with one hand while he used the other to prop himself up into a sitting position. Bo noticed, through his swirling vision, that it was his cousin and Cooter who were laughing hysterically, especially Luke. It figures! Luke had all the fun lately. Bo felt terrible. His stomach began to roll like one of the rides at the county fair and he knew he was going to be sick. He managed to grab hold of the wall and pulled himself to his wobbly feet; still holding his head with one hand! He staggered a few steps to the nearest garbage barrel, leaned over it, and threw up his toes…again….and again!

Cooter quickly decided it was time for him to go do that tow job. “I’ll leave Bo in your capable hands and I’ll see ya’ll later for dinner.”

“Bye, Cooter. Thanks for bringing him home. Now I just have to sober his butt up before tonight. I’d hate for Meghan to see him like this. It’s bad enough for Jesse and Daisy to see him drunk…” Luke stopped talking and shook his head. He was disgusted and more than a trifle irritated at his younger cousin.

“Well, don’t be too hard on him. There’s got to be some reason behind this, ya know. Bo never has made a habit of getting wasted like that. I’ll see ya’ll later.” Cooter started up his truck and backed out of the driveway.

Luke went to check on Bo. His blond cousin was leaning over the garbage barrel and was pale-faced and sweaty. His deep-blue eyes were slightly unfocused and glassy and he smelled like cheap whiskey and smoke. Luke bit back several angry comments and instead decided to help his cousin. Bo had managed to remove his yellow shirt that had become quite dirty and he stood there; dizzy and leaning against the barn wall. Luke yanked the shirt from his cousin’s hand and walked outside without saying a word. He wet a portion of the garment at the pump and returned to the barn where he wiped his younger cousin’s face with it. Bo gratefully accepted his cousin’s help. He tried to walk but he kept stumbling over his own feet. Luke helped him, although none too gently, walk outside to the water trough. Bo leaned over the body of water and dunked himself, with help and much enthusiasm from Luke, several times. Vomiting up the alcohol and the repeated dousings had helped Bo to sober up some. Luke could tell that Bo was becoming more coherent and he turned to go into the house before he said something he might regret later.

Bo knew Luke was angry with him and he couldn’t blame him. Bo hated whiskey and he hated being drunk. He felt ashamed of what he had done…but, at the time, he hadn’t seen any other way to deaden his pain. The very thought of having to sit calmly at the dinner table while the love of his life sat next to his cousin tonight was killing him.

“Luke, wait.” Bo said hoarsely.

“What.” Luke replied in a strained voice; his rising anger barely suppressed.

“Thanks for helpin’ me. I know you woulda rather beat my head in instead…like I deserve.”

Luke couldn’t hold it in any longer. He quickly walked right up to Bo and grabbed the young man’s wet T-shirt with both hands. Luke got close to Bo’s face and spoke menacingly.
“Damn right you deserve a beatin’! What were you thinking, Bo Duke? Wait…what am I saying…I forgot who I’m talkin’ to. You have to have a brain to think…and it’s obvious you don’t have one because you weren’t thinking at all! Otherwise you wouldn’t have been out drinkin’ that kerosene Boss passes off for whiskey in the middle of the afternoon! Of all the hare-brained…Bo you could’ve killed yourself or somebody else if you had driven that car!” Luke’s voice had risen in volume and he shook Bo hard; water slinging from the younger man’s dripping hair. Bo winced as his head pounded in protest to the sudden movement.

“I thought you might get a little more sense as you got older…but I can see that ain’t gonna happen. Bo…you are the biggest idiot in Hazzard and today’s little stunt only proves my point! Now…I’m gonna go clean up so I can pick up Meghan. When we get back, I either want to see you cleaned-up, sober, and on your best behavior or I don’t want to see you at all. Do you hear me, Bo! You are not gonna embarrass me or the rest of this family in front of my girlfriend.”
Luke released his cousin’s shirt and glared at Bo; his piercing-blue gaze had turned icy.

Bo simply nodded and slowly sat down under the tree next to the trough. He watched his older cousin stalk off toward the house; anger apparent in Luke’s every movement. Luke’s harsh words had penetrated Bo’s alcohol induced haze. The comments had hurt Bo, deeply; but the young man felt he had deserved Luke’s anger. He had been an idiot. Bo knew he had messed up royally…now how in the world was he going to keep things from getting worse?

Luke soon emerged from the house and the General’s back tires were slinging gravel across the yard as he left the farm headed toward Meghan’s apartment in Capital City. He had not spoken to Jesse or Daisy about Bo. They had asked about what had happened outside, but he told Jesse to ask “that fool outside”. As he drove, Luke’s anger gradually lessened and worry took its place. The thought of his cousin nearly driving while drunk had scared him so badly that he just wanted to wring Bo’s neck! What was wrong with his “little brother”? Cooter was right. Something was definitely up with Bo. The only other times Bo had ever gotten drunk were when something was really bothering him…something he didn’t think he could talk about. ‘What was so bad that he couldn’t tell me?’ he thought. Luke actually felt a little bit hurt. He thought he and Bo had gotten back to a point where they could confide in each other again…but apparently Bo had a problem that he couldn’t trust him with. He continued on his way, deeply lost in thought.