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.