by: Marty Chrisman

Jesse’s tired old eyes watched the machines that monitored Luke’s vital signs. He didn’t know how to read all the dials and fancy gadgets. But he knew that the one machine showed Luke’s heartbeat and that as long it was making them lines on the screen, Luke was still alive. A nurse came in every few minutes and wrote something down on her chart, then left. Jesse knew she was reading the information on the different machines but he was afraid to ask her what they said. It was bad enough knowing that Luke was dying he didn’t really want to know just how soon.

The doctor had told Jesse that when Luke passed on they would not try to bring him back. They would simply let him go in peace. As he sat there waiting, Jesse let his thoughts drift back to when Luke was a child. He had always been independent and self reliant even at a young age. When Bo and Daisy came to live on the farm too, Luke had become the protective older brother who looked for them and took care of them.

Jesse knew that there were times when Luke resented being the one who had to help watch his younger cousins and keep them out of trouble but he had never complained, at least not to Jesse. And Jesse knew that it was especially hard when Luke was a teenager and wanted to spend time with friends his own age and date girls and Bo wanted to tag along all the time.

Luke never had been the type to open up much about his feelings or his thoughts. It was more his style to think a problem out and try to solve it by himself before asking for help. As they got older, Bo was the only one he’d really open up to.

Luke had been well behaved and usually listened but that didn’t mean he didn’t get in trouble sometimes. But Jesse never had to take the strap to Luke as much as he did Bo. Jesse used a firm hand raising the boys, he had to them boys of his were both stubborn and strong willed, although Luke always was more level headed where Bo was far more impulsive. Jesse was a strict disciplinarian but the boys knew that he loved them and he knew that they loved him and respected him. They had both grown into fine young men that any father would have been proud of. And now Jesse was losing one of them and the pain was tearing him apart inside.

He glanced over at Daisy and sighed softly. It hadn’t been easy for her being the only girl in houseful of men especially after Martha died. But she had learned early on how to run with the boys and be one the gang. She could shoot, she could fish, she could drive and she could hunt just as well as they did. But she could also cook, sew and be totally feminine. He knew how much she would miss Luke. He had been like her older brother, the one she had admired and looked up to. Even as children Luke had shown infinite patience with both Daisy and Bo.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. Luke was supposed to get married and have a family and children of his own. Sons to carry on the Duke name into the next generation.

Even though neither of boys showed any signs of settling down, Jesse knew that they were still young. They would someday but now that day would never come for Luke.

Cooter was lost in thoughts of his own. He and Luke were the same age so they had spent a lot of time together. They’d gone to school together, learned to work on cars together, had their first taste of moonshine together, even dated the same girls now and then. Luke had a sharp mind and a keen sense of humor. He was the most loyal friend a man could ever ask for. Cooter knew he was going to miss him a lot. Losing Luke was going to leave a big hole in Cooter’s life.

Shortly after midnight, the monitor that showed Luke’s heart rate began to falter. Pausing between beats, then speeding up again. Jesse felt his heart tighten painfully in his chest and a lump climb into his throat. Somehow he knew that it wouldn’t be long now. Luke was spending his last hours on earth and with his family. Jesse glanced at Cooter and Daisy without speaking and knew that they sensed that the end was near too.

For the next two hours, they sat there watching as Luke’s body slowly gave up the fight. Around three in the morning, the heart monitor went off with a loud alarm as it flat lined. Luke’s heart had stopped beating. The nurses and a doctor came rushing into the room even though they knew that Luke was not to be resuscitated. Jesse held his breathe even he knew the outcome as the doctor checked Luke’s vital signs. Looking at the family, he shook his sadly. It was over. Luke was gone. Daisy, Jesse and Cooter all started crying without any shame grieving the loss of a man they had all loved.

The room suddenly went quiet as the doctor flipped a couple of switches and shut down the machines. The doctor looked at them solemnly and quietly told them that they could stay with Luke for as long as they wished. They stayed for several minutes before forcing themselves to leave. As he turned to leave, Jesse looked back at Luke and whispered “Rest in peace, son…your aunt Martha will take care of you now.”
Jesse stopped at the nurse’s station just long enough to tell the nurse on duty that someone would be contacting the hospital about picking Luke up to bring him back to Hazzard.

Cooter drove slowly back to Hazzard, the soft sound Daisy’s sobs filling the air. Jesse had his arm around her trying to comfort her but he looked like he could use some comforting himself. It was almost six in the morning before Cooter pulled into the Duke barnyard. He was startled to see Enos’ patrol car parked beside Jesse’s pickup. He wondered what Enos was doing there so early in the morning.

As Cooter stopped the jeep and climbed out to help Uncle Jesse and Daisy out of the vehicle, Enos stepped out of his car and slowly walked over to them with his hat in his hands. “Uncle Jesse,” Enos said in a broken voice “The hospital in Tri County has been trying to get hold of you.”

“Bo?’ Jesse said, forcing his youngest nephews name out of his throat with some effort. He wasn’t up to hearing more bad news right now.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Jesse…” Enos said with tears running down his face “Bo passed on about twenty minutes ago…”

“No!” Daisy screamed, collapsing in Cooter’s arms in a dead faint. Jesse staggered back a couple of steps and looked like was ready to collapse himself. Cooter felt as he’d been hit in the gut with sledgehammer. He gathered Daisy into his arms and started to carry her towards the house.

“Wait, “ Enos called after him, heartsick over having to be the one to tell them the news about Bo. “How’s Luke?”

Cooter looked back at Enos grimly and said softly “Luke passed away around three o’clock this morning.”

“Oh, my god….no…” Enos said, his tears falling freely as he watched Cooter and Jesse disappear into the house. Enos turned back to his cruiser and slumped in the front seat. He just sat there and cried.