by: Essy Jane

Jo walked as fast as she could towards her family. She put the breaks on the stroller. Everyone was sitting there looking at each other. “How are they?” Jo asked Jose. The young man bit on his bottom lip.

“They were in the car for hours loosing blood. I can’t lie…Jesse and Bo didn’t look too good,” Jose mumbled.

“Oh my gosh, how did this happen? How? Why would anyone do this?” Jose swallowed hard. He turned away from Jo Anna. “You know something.”

“Jo, this isn’t the place to say this.”

“Jose, please.”

“There were two sets of tire marks besides the pick-up. There was evidence of a steam roller in front of the road. No constructions signs were around.”

“What?”

“Whoever did this, did it on purpose.”

“Who would want to run a farmer and his son off the road?” Judd asked.

“Anyone that knew what Dukes were capable of,” Lilly-Rose mumbled. Jo nodded her head softly. She looked at her cousin.

“That’s dead on,” Jo answered.

“I don’t know how many stories Bo told me about them being tied up or knocked off the road. The stories are endless,” Jose commented. Essy nodded.

“Whoever did this wants us out of the way,” Essy assumed.

“Now how do we explain that to Bo and Jesse?” One of the two surgeons came out. The family all stood up.

“I am Doctor Michaels I worked on Beauregard Duke,” The Doctor began.

“Umm, call him Bo okay?” Jose cut in.

“Okay, Bo is in pretty critical condition. He tore the muscle in his left shoulder. We repaired some of the muscle but it will be a good while before he can move it again. He hit his head pretty good. There was bruising of the brain. We had to go in and drain the blood. He had a collapsed lung. He’s in a comma and we won’t know much about his condition until he wakes up.”

Jo fell to her knees and broke down crying. Jose had never seen Jo cry like she was now. He went down to her side and held her. Jo wiped the tears out of her eyes.

“Can I see him, doctor?” Jo asked.

“Yes but only one in there at a time,” Doctor Michaels replied.

“Alright.”

“Okay, I’ll show you where his room is.” Jo walked into the room. Bo’s hair had been shaved right off. There was an IV in his left hand. He had all sorts of wires monitoring his brain waves. There was a tube going into his chest. “A nurse will come by and see you in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” The doctor walked out of the room. There was a giant window on the other side of Bo’s bed. All the nurses were working from that side. Jo Anna paid no attention to the fish bowl her father had been put in. All she wanted was him to wake up.

“Daddy, you know, I never thought about you leaving me until today. What the world would be like if there was no Bo Duke. You know what? I don’t want to think of it. You’re too kind and too wonderful. Even the thought of you moving hundreds of miles away doesn’t compare to the thought of you dying right now,” Jo Anna cried.

She pushed away her tears. Jo wanted to be brave for her father. She always tried to put on a face for him. Jo loved her Dad more than anything. Bo took his kids everywhere he went. Nancy would do the same thing. The family was so tightly knitted together that to picture of them apart was unimaginable. Even if their dad lived in LA, they would see him just as much if not more than they saw Luke…that is if Bo got through this.

“Oh Dad, please open your eyes. I have three great reasons why you should. Cameron, Cal and Cara…they’re all waiting for you. You showed us a life of adventure. They need the same chance—even if LA is the place to do it,” Jo mumbled. Jose knocked on the door.

“Ah…I’m sorry to interrupt you but…” Jose began.

“Jesse’s out of surgery, thanks cousin.” Jo got up and looked at Jose. She smiled weakly. “Hey, sit with him for me? I wouldn’t want anyone else to be with my brother and Dad than you.”

“It would be an honor.” Jo Anna walked out and Jose sat down. He looked at all the tubing and such. “Man Bo, you got yourself into a real mess. I don’t know what to do. Everyone’s a real mess and it always seems they come to you whenever they’re in trouble. It’s funny—even though you’re younger than Dad, he came to you for advice. I couldn’t understand why. That is until I got here.”

Jose shook his head. He grabbed onto Bo’s hand and held it tight. Jose didn’t want to cry but the tears kept jumping up to the surface. Bo had been like a second father to him. Jose wanted him to be okay.

“Dad told me all these stories about your wild side. How you used to get him into trouble. There was one story in particular that I found funny…reminded me of Jesse. You two were trying to hide from this guy that was after you and all. You ended up sneezing and the guys showed up with a gun in your face. Dad said something like, ‘four against two.’ And you had to say, ‘I like those odds.’ You kicked the gun out of his hand. Dad made the first punch. You were fighting one of them and Dad had two holding him and one punching him. Well, you knocked your guy out and asked Dad if he need help. He said, ‘Come on Bo, anytime now.’ You hit one guy in the back of the head with a brick and kicked another one off of Dad,” Jose commented.

He watched Bo, hoping for some kind of reaction. Anything to prove he was going to be alright. Jose wanted Bo to open his eyes. Nothing seemed to happen.

“Bo, I’m more stubborn than you are. I’ll talk all month to you if I have to. Let’s see Bo, what’s another one of your many accomplishments? You were able to turn me around. Dad sure couldn’t—I don’t know why I didn’t listen to him. I guess it was because he was my father. Don’t get me wrong, Dad’s a great person but he didn’t have what I needed in New York,” Jose began. There was a knock on the door.

“Hey, sorry to bug you Jose,” Jo began.

“What is Jesse awake?”

“No he’s not…umm Lilly-Rose and I are leaving. Judd is gonna sit with Dad for a while and I need you to be with Jesse.”

“Where are you two going?”

“You know how they were knocked off the road?”

“Yeah?”

“Well I think that someone knew we would all rush to the hospital.”

“So what if we did? Our kin is hurt ain’t they?” Jose laughed. “I’m really starting to sound like Jesse.”

“I think they’re gonna try to rob The Hazzard Bank. Lilly-Rose maybe part Hogg but she’s got a lot of Duke in her. We can stop this.”

“You’re gonna go after these crooks while your Dad and brother lie in the hospital?”

“I am going because this is what my Dad would want me to do. I ain’t doing it because I am selfish.”

“Seems like you want revenge, Jo, and that is selfish. No, you should be here with your family. They are people that love you and care about you not to mention they need you.”

“I need to go.”

“Let Perry and Cletus worry about the bank.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying that. They won’t catch them and you know it.”

“Then at least let me go.”

“Bo and Jesse need someone who is important in their life and that’s you.”

“You’re a sister and a daughter to them. I’m a cousin. Now tell me, which one do they need more? Obviously not me, they need you.”

“How many times does Dad have to say you’re like a son to him?”

“Yeah well, you’re real. That’s what matters. You have been with Jesse since birth.”

“You are the only one that can make Jesse wake up.”

“Jesse’s not awake?”

“He’s in the same boat as Dad. Like father like son injuries.”

“His lung…”

“No, he had some glass in his throat, it swelled up. They couldn’t get a tube down his throat. They had to cut a hole in his neck.” Jose banged down hard.

“Man, why did this have to happen?”

“I don’t know but I’m going to find out.”

“No, you should stay.”

“You know, he’s got two broken arms.”

“Jesse broke both his arms.” Jo nodded softly. She shook her head.

“Don’t you see, he needs you.”

“Oh no, poor Jesse, man alive this is horrible.”

“Yeah it is and I can’t just sit here and let Cletus Hogg and Perry Coltrane mess this up.”

“Jo…”

“Oh don’t you Jo me.”

“Hey, be careful alright?”

“I sure will.”

“What about the triplets?”

“Essy’s taking them back to the farm. Judd’ll head there after a bit.”

“Jo, good luck.”

“I’m gonna need it.”

“Don’t do anything stupid. Look, I already have two cousins in the hospital…I don’t need two more.”

“Oh come on, you think I am gonna end up like this?”

“Look what they did to your Dad. Without any feeling, they hit his truck. Now what kind of people would do that?”

“Money hungry.”

“That’s right and those people care for nothing else.”

“Jose?”

“Yeah?”

“I am gonna miss you when you leave…so is Jesse. He looks like he’s already lost you.”

“He’ll never loose me.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“Well I hope he knows how much I care about him.” Jo nodded. “He does know?”

“No but you can tell him how much you care about him. Jesse always wants people to love him. If nothing else, tell him that he is loved. That no matted where you go, he will always be your brother.”

“But he’s not.”

“Oh he is.”

“Jo Anna?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna miss you too.”

“At least someone will.” With that she ran out. Jose sighed as he looked at Bo.

“Man alive, she’s such a Duke.” With that, Jose walked out of Bo’s room and went into Jesse’s to switch with Judd. He wanted to make sure at least one of them woke up.